Shadow of the Jaguar
by butterfly collective
Summary: C.J. and Matt had begun putting the nightmare of being caught up with a  human trafficker behind them, but as they start their new life together, will     a shadowy figure emerge from the past to jeopardize their future?  Set after "Mustang Madness".
1. Chapter 1

Hi, this is the story that is between "Mustang Madness" and "A circle of Woman"...it's the prologue and I'm still working on the main story itself. Hope you enjoy the start of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Summer, Washington State<br>**

She lay in the bed with her face pressed against the pillow, looking out into the center of the room that had become her prison. It had been elegant in its design and furnished with items that had to come from an exclusive sales room. He had spared no expense in gilding her cage for her.

A spacious bedroom that adjoined a bathroom, which boasted an elaborate shower with three adjustable water jets and walls of the finest tile, she had seen this kind of décor in catalogs. A closet filled with the clothes that he wanted her to wear for him, when he wanted her to wear them and a table with two chairs where she ate her meals on the days when she felt like eating.

Then the bed itself, not particularly comfortable but large enough for his nightly visits when he had returned from his business trips…the sheets had been changed but a hint of his cologne still lingered from some place. Maybe inside her own imagination.

It was like any opulent bedroom that defined many a household in even the wealthier neighborhoods in the city where she had lived before being brought here.

Except for one detail, a door that was locked and bolted shut from the outside with a window peeking inside where she lived.

Not to mention two windows that were covered in bars, so she could see just enough outside of her prison to know that escaping from the compound would be futile because the wilderness that surrounded the building, the thick canopy of trees, the rugged walls of rock which surely encased the rushing water she could hear that sounded like a river.

A means of escape perhaps lingering in her mind on the nights she lay in bed either alone or with him next to her, gazing at her before he left her for the night. But on this day Andre hadn't shown up and yet a woman along with the younger one named Elena had entered into the room telling her to get dressed.

She had been given her usual mid-day meal, not much to eat just soup but she had eaten it and drank the juice and soon after, the waves of dizziness hit. Then had come the wardrobe that she was to wear that night and the older woman helped dress her.

Silky lace that molded to her body in all the places that he liked, she thought slipping it on over her skin. She blinked her eyes as her vision had blurred and Elena's face came into view.

"Are you feeling okay miss?"

She didn't answer in a way that would make them happy and the woman had begun fussing with her hair. Not that she paid attention because she had already left for that other place.

Then a guard opened the door and stuck his head inside to look at the three of them. He looked uncomfortable.

"Is she ready yet?"

The woman looked up sharply.

"She'll be ready in a few minutes…he can wait."

The guard shook his head.

"This one can't…he's been waiting for her for a while now."

The woman shook her head and looked back at him.

"Okay she'll be ready soon…it will be worth it."

The guard didn't look convinced but he left them. The woman looked at C.J. to see if she had been paying attention but the younger woman was gone someplace else, while her body was being prepared for him.

She had journeyed to the garden where she sat listening to the crickets sing, miles away from the men who would hurt her.

* * *

><p><strong>Oktoberfest in Germany<strong>

Clarissa had grown restless at the party, partly fueled by the adrenalin generated by her run in with the thief. She stroked Matt's face while he finished his Scotch.

"Let's head on back," she said, "I know you're leaving in the morning but it's still dark and we've got plenty of time to say goodbye."

He nodded and they headed towards the exit of the party which still was in full swing. They ran into the businessman at the gate and stopped to say goodbye.

"Thanks so much for what you did," Clarissa said, "I'll never forget it."

The man smiled.

"It's nothing…just pass it along for someone else."

"That's such a nice thought…I'll do that, thanks."

Matt shook the man's hand and reached into his pocket for his wallet to hand him a business card.

"The name's Matt Houston," he said, "I'm on the road now but give me a call and I'll return it when I get back to L.A."

The man looked at the card and then reached to retrieve his own wallet to pull out his business card.

"I'm Stefan Kostas," he said, "but you can call me Stefan and I'll look forward into getting in touch with you in a couple months or so."

Matt smiled and started to leave. Clarissa walked with him for a few moments until they reached the end of the street. She bit her lip.

"I forgot something," she said, "I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting here…"

He watched her walk quickly back and disappear once again into the party.

Clarissa walked by and felt him grab her arm to stop her.

"I thought you left…"

She stared up at him and smiled.

"I just wanted to tell you that you send one of your flunkies like that again and I'll walk."

He chuckled and stroked her arm, not as idly as it appeared.

"You know the price that you'll pay if you betray me Sasha," he said, "I'm not a forgiving man."

Her hand shook as she pulled her arm away.

"Why did we do all this," she asked, "Matt Houston is a man who has his own problems keeping him from stopping you from finding the same woman he is running away from."

Stefan sighed.

"I paid good money for that woman to be the latest in my collection," he said, "She's quite a prize indeed and Duval left her in the hands of incompetents. He got too involved with this piece of property and that will be his downfall."

"No one's seen her since," she said, "If she doesn't want to be found with a man like Matt to train her how to hide…he can send an army of bounty hunters and they won't find her."

"I will find her before Duval does and then I will take care of him," Stefan said, "There's only rule for one capo in this operation and it's going to be me."

Sasha looked up at him and knew he was right. Whatever Stefan wanted, he usually got in spades. She just shook her head at him, both in awe and fear of the man who had plucked her out of a small village in Italy and had molded her into one of his top procurers of merchandise. Her easy going manner and delicate style of dealing with people made her marks trust her all the time she led them into her snare until it became too late.

She knew she had become the best, having been groomed by the woman who had done that to her back when she had been foolish and weak. When it became time to slip into her mentor's position, she did it easily enough. A slice to the woman's throat when she least expected it and Sasha got her promotion.

But Matt, he had shaken her resolve in a matter of days, no better he did leave and they went their separate ways.

"You'd better head on back to him before he suspects anything."

She looked directly at him.

"He won't…and I'll be back to the London office in two days…"

With that, she turned and walked down through the gate to rejoin Matt.


	2. Chapter 2

First real chapter, I hope readers like it. Not sure how long this one's going to be yet. Still working on it.

* * *

><p><strong>Two years later….<strong>

Matt looked up at the wall that stood in front of him, the same one that surrounded the impressive estate which housed an even more regal mansion inside its gates. He heard sounds of dogs barking in the distance which meant that the Dobermans were probably someplace else on the multi-acres spread but where?

He knew that the wall itself, built of stone and mortar was deceptive to the eye. Infrared beams probably crossed it, lining the top of it in some fashion which would set off alarms if they were broken by say, a human intruder. He heard the sound of a car on the road behind him and he looked over at his companion standing near a tree, signaling him with a slight of his gloved hand before shrinking against the wall, as two beams of light passed by just yards away.

Dressed in black from his cap to his socks and shoes, he blended in well with the darkness of the moonless night. Even the stars which filled the sky seemed muted in their light. By his feet, he had a rappelling hook attached to enough rope to get over the wall if he could navigate through any infrared. He looked over at Zeke who he'd teamed up with to do the job, recruiting the mercenary who still remained headquartered with Too-Mean's old crew on the island. Matt had flown his Lear Jet to the Mediterranean island just two days earlier and he and Zeke had spent two days planning while conferencing back to Matt's partner Dan back in Houston. The two of them had been working on a new security system for a client but in order to tailor it to his needs; they had to evaluate what he had in place first, not to mention the dimensions of the place that needed protection.

The estate looming behind the huge wall.

"How much longer are we going to wait?"

Matt saw that Zeke had moved closer towards him, leaning against the wall, waiting to make their move over the wall. He looked at his watch.

"About 10 minutes…we have to time this perfectly."

"Where are the dogs?"

Matt didn't hear them now which of course meant they could be anywhere but probably not close enough to pick up their scent or they'd be at least growling by now. He definitely didn't want to climb the fence only to find the guard dogs waiting on the other side for them.

After all, he'd promised his girlfriend C.J. that he'd return back home to Texas in one piece and he always kept his promises. He'd talked to her just before he headed to the estate and she had been reminding him not to force her to fly off half way around the world to rescue him from some predicament.

She had enough work on her plate to deal with after having gone through the process to finally get Alisha in her safe house and helping the U.S. Attorney's office prepare its case against the traffickers. But she said she'd keep the home light burning when he returned from this latest job assignment. He smiled at that thought because even two days away, he found himself missing her.

"Hey we going to stand here all night or are we going to pull this job?"

Matt heard the trace of irritation in Zeke's voice.

"Come on; let's get started then while it's still quiet."

The two of them moved alongside the wall, walking parallel to it to find just the perfect spot to hook the rappel so they could mosey on over it…hopefully taking off towards the house before the dogs caught their scent. Not that they didn't have the means to deal with any vicious guard dogs but he wanted to keep this plan as simple as possible, while maintaining its flexibility. Often a tricky balance, he had found, particularly here.

"How's this spot look?"

Matt looked up where Zeke had pointed, his eyes carefully casing the wall for any signs of weakness that could be exploited. He knew there had to be such a spot because no designer not even those in the security industry neared perfection; in fact many weren't even close. The darkness surrounding them made it difficult so Matt slipped on a pair of night goggles and he saw what he'd been looking for, some breaks in the wall paired with an apparent blind spot in the infrared beams.

He looked over at Zeke with a careful smile.

"This will do just fine…get me the rope with the hook."

Zeke retrieved it and handed it to him and Matt looked up at the top of the wall as he wrapped the rope in one hand and then using the same arm that had won him a Cotton Bowl Championship ring, he lobbed the rappel and it arched high enough to sail over the wall and clank just audibly on the other side. Matt listened for a moment so sure the dogs might have heard it and come running over but if they had, they'd be barking at this point.

Silence met the two men instead.

"Okay I'll go over first," Matt said, "You follow…I'll be waiting on the other side. If you hear me yell, that means the dogs got me."

Zeke just looked at him.

"Not funny… I promised the missus that I wouldn't be scarred in any place I wasn't already. "

Matt had promised C.J. more than that but he had evaluated the risks and the window of opportunity would be open long enough for them to get over the wall and rush to the throng of trees near the near side of the mansion. So he grabbed the rope and wrapped it around his hands as he took some running steps and climbed up the wall, step by step as he pulled the rope with one hand at a time. The climb didn't faze him much because he kept himself in top physical condition.

For reasons other than the day job.

He tugged on the rope while almost in a crouch, his core muscles working overtime to help him climb the wall until he reached the top and deftly stepped inside the breach in the infrared beams. He half expected to be an inch or so off in his precise measurement of the safe zone and for alarms to go blaring around them.

But the night remained quiet and when Matt navigated the top portion, he leapt down and landed on the damp grass with a soft thud. He looked around him across the huge lawn for the dogs but still nothing. Some light cursing broke the night air and he knew that Zeke had started his climb. He had chosen Zeke for the job because of his experience rappelling off the sides of buildings on some of his jobs. The mercenary hadn't been much of a hiker when they had both been training together on the island more than 18 months ago but when it came to actually climbing, he had been king.

Sure enough, Zeke soon landed right beside him and then looked around just as Matt had just done. But the grounds looked completely quiet, not even the branches on the looming trees moved.

"Come on, we'd better get moving."

They walked across the grass keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of trouble. There were several buildings, their outlines visible besides the mansion in front of them. Matt knew that the man who lived her housed his own private animal preserve and boasted a collection of exotic felines including some rare varieties. He also had a stable filled with prized show horses that were trained by his wife and her staff of trainers. Matt guessed it had started as a hobby to keep her busy and happy while her husband spent much of his time traveling the world on business for his pharmaceutical firm.

They neared the house and suddenly Zeke tapped his shoulder. Matt turned around and then he saw them. Two sentry guards armed with shotguns walking by not 100 yards away. Matt tucked himself into an alcove created by a strand of several trees, and Zeke slid in beside him. They watched as one of the men whistled a couple of times and then two Dobermans came racing across the grass towards the men. They were lucky that the men hadn't passed by the wall a few minutes early but then split-second timing had always been an integral part of his work.

"Do you think they'll find us?"

Matt watched the men walk further away with the dogs dancing around them until one of the men barked an order in what sounded like Russian.

"They might if we stay here," he said, "There's a window on the second floor on the other side."

"Is that how we're getting inside?"

"Maybe…and it's going to be secured in several different ways…bolted, infrared, ultra-violet, radio signals…who knows?"

Zeke shook his head.

"What about the side entrance below it…we can see if we can crack the code."

Matt considered that and wondered if that might work quickly enough…which it would need to so they would avoid a run in with any perimeter security forces…hopefully the two man team would be it but he didn't know for sure.

Still they kept close to the building as they step by careful step walked around it, looking for a way in they might have missed in their planning. Soon enough, they saw the side door and they approached it carefully. Standing on either side, Matt and Zeke looked at each other before Matt reached into his pack and pulled out a device that when attached to the security lock would test out thousands of different possible codes over a matter of seconds or sometimes minutes until finding the one needed to unlock it.

The perspiration itched his face as he carefully and slowly attached his gizmo as he called it to the door. At any moment, an alarm might blare if the door was rigged that way. But Matt knew what he was doing and he had gentle hands that never trembled even under the severest pressure. Zeke watched him as he deftly hooked up the device and pressed the button, which started it to work trying out codes.

"How long will it take?"

Matt sighed, rubbing the sweat off his face with his arm.

"Hard to say…hopefully sooner rather than later….I'd hate to get caught red handed out here when we're so close."

Zeke frowned.

"No that wouldn't work would it…?"

Matt didn't even want to think about that happening on this job. They had prepped for it over a period of weeks and had considered every scenario that might arise and had planned out every possible course of action they might need to take including aborting the job if necessary.

But he wasn't about to let it come to that.

Suddenly, Zeke's eyes widened.

"They're heading back this way…"

Matt looked over outside the shadow which protected the two of them and saw the two sentries and the dogs…

"If they catch a whiff of us…"

Matt watched the device willing it to work even faster though he knew that wouldn't help. But the men were approaching and he didn't think receding further into the building's shadow would keep them hidden either. The men didn't seem to be looking in their direction but Matt saw one of the dog's stop. His head shoot up, poised and Matt knew they'd been detected.

Zeke just looked at him as the men drew closer and their voices carried through the night air.

"What is it Zeus?"

The other man spoke up.

"I think he's keyed on something…what is it boy?"

Matt looked over at the device still spitting out code combinations quickly and still…nothing. Zeke kept looking nervously towards the approaching men. The dogs took off running and the sentries ran to keep up.

"We'd better…"

But before Zeke could get the word out that they needed to abort, they heard a click from the door's lock opening. Matt looked at Zeke smiling at him.

"And you were saying…"

Zeke cracked a grin back.

"We'd better get on inside there before we turn into dog chow."

They slipped in quickly and quietly, Matt pulling the door behind him just before they heard the chains around the dogs' neck clinking as they moved around, no doubt sniffing the door and picking up their scent.

Matt knew that the sentries wouldn't read too much into the dogs keying on the door because they'd probably guess that the security system was too sophisticated to be penetrable. After all, they weren't he ones that had designed it or had the expertise…to know of any barely perceivable flaws. But Matt knew because that's what he had been paid to find out.

They knew enough to put on the night goggles that would illuminate the beams of light that suddenly became visible in order to navigate carefully through them. In some cases that meant stepping over them and in others, getting on their stomachs and slithering beneath them, ducking their heads as if to brush what the normal eye couldn't see. The floors were hardwood so at least none of their clothes got caught or stuck while they crawled. They were inside what looked like a meeting room, with a large table made out of ancient oak and chairs around it. On the wall was what looked like a blind that no doubt covered a flat screen. This room didn't look much different than the one at Matt and Dan's security firm.

They made it the hallway which was layered with beams including those that crisscrossed each other and they had to stop to figure out a path to travel through…when suddenly they heard a loud chime and Matt looked over and saw a Grandfather clock of intricate design on its casing. Paintings including what looked like a Rembrandt lined the walls, their sophisticated security systems nearly hidden.

Matt saw the staircase in front of them which was free of infrared beams but that didn't mean it was unsecured. He knew that the springboards below each individual step were set to go off if the security system underlying them had been activated but he also knew the designer of that system and that if they walked on the outer edges of the steps about an inch inside, they'd be able to get up undetected.

"Follow my footsteps exactly…"

Zeke nodded and they proceeded slowly up the stairs which creaked enough to break the stillness but that was much better than the shrill sound of an activated alarm.

They made it upstairs and proceeded down another hallway with a tapestry of beams distributed throughout until the end. They had to contort their bodies in all kinds of positions and step all over each other to make it through. Matt rubbed his back where Zeke had just stood on it and thought there had to be easier ways to make a living.

But ahead of him he saw what looked like an interesting room, clearly not a bedroom and though he thought it might be locked, the knob moved easily in his hand. He looke at Zeke, his brows raised.

"What's inside?"

Matt stepped inside the room and saw rows of locked filing cabinets and figured it was a room for storing records, possibly business files. Now Matt knew that they couldn't hold anything highly confidential because anything falling in that category would be stored in a much more secured facility but they might hold something important. Some of them had looked like they were labeled like one would with letters of the alphabet. But ahead of them was what had been really interesting and that was the safe….

Zeke had some expertise in cracking safes from his time doing similar jobs like stealing secrets to sell them to the competition in a number of different industries where unfortunately espionage went part and parcel with them.

That was certainly true of the pharmaceutical industry, they both knew. But without much further thought, Zeke moved forward with Matt covering him and started the arduous work of cracking the safe's combination. He had brought his own toolkit of equipment to make it easier.

Matt kept glancing behind him because he couldn't believe that it had been as uncomplicated as it had been…nothing ever went this smoothly, a cardinal rule in their line of work.

Zeke grew more animated as he closed in on the combination and Matt wondered what had been locked up inside of there. He would need to run an inventory if Zeke got the safe opened.

"I'm getting really close…man this job is one of the easiest…"

Then they heard a pair of footsteps behind them and when Matt turned around quickly, he saw a man standing in front of him.

And in one of his hands, he held a gun.

"Move away from the safe…both of you."

Matt and Zeke looked at each other, having no choice at this point but to obey.

* * *

><p>C.J woke up with a start in her bed, the one she shared with Matt. But it had only taken her an instant to know that she was alone. He had taken off a couple of days ago to head to some Mediterrean island to handle a job for the company he ran with Dan. She had kissed him goodbye as she usually did and then had kept herself buried in her own work.<p>

But damn she missed him, even when her mind had been mostly on work and more keenly now having woken up without him.

They shared a house together in a nice tree-lined neighborhood in Houston but she had been restless to buy up some acreage outside of the city and build a house there. She and Matt had just put bought some land, which happened to have a house already standing on it that just needed some heavy work.

They had spent their weekends doing most of the renovating themselves occasionally hiring a crew to help them with the tougher jobs. Still, they loved getting their hands dirty and dong a lot of the work themselves. Sometimes they stayed overnight having brought some air mattresses and sleeping bags, and with the electricity on and the plumbing in good shape and the plumbing in good shape, they could prepare meals and even catch a movie on a computer.

Now he was gone and she had planned to go shopping with Chris for some things for the baby that would be arriving in a few months. Chris and Dan had struggled for over a year to have a baby and C.J. had been so happy for them when it finally happened. Butterfly, now a teenager, helped out whenever she lived with them which was most of the time now.

She thought about trying to sleep, not sure what had awakened her suddenly. It had been a while since the nightmares had jolted her from her slumber. Since she and Matt had returned from the ranch as a couple at last, they had settled into a comfortable life in Houston. He still traveled but not as often as he had and she still struggled to figure out her new consulting work having just secured a safe house for a pregnant teenage girl named Alisha whose baby had been fathered by a notorious drug dealer.

Maybe some freshly steeped chamomile tea would help her sleep so she got out of bed and reached for her robe. The house seemed empty and quiet without Matt at home. Elena dropped by to visit for spells in between her own busy life living with a cousin in Denver. She had passed her GED and would be attending college back in Houston for a while before transferring maybe to another school. Not sure what she wanted to pursue, but she had plenty of time to figure out because ICE had signed off on an extended Visa as she was an important witness in the trafficking case that had remained on the front burner of many lives including her own.

Then she heard her cell phone ring from somewhere on the dresser of the bedroom near a photo of her and Matt together from the ranch where they had spent the past summer solving a case involving a devious scheme to defraud a bunch of ranch owners. She hoped it would be Matt on the phone and not about him…as in bad news but she saw quickly enough, a familiar name.

"Rhonda…"

"Hi there, did I wake you up?"

C.J. sat down on her bed.

"Oh no, I woke up anyway…listen how's the new place?"

Rhonda paused.

"Not bad…but I miss Houston and all of you even though Jonathan's frigging awesome."

C.J. smiled to herself at the reference Rhonda had made to her new husband and C.J.'s ex-boyfriend from years ago who had reentered her life when she really needed him. She owed him a lot and it thrilled her that he found happiness with one of her closest friends.

"You knew the private sector would never keep him happy," she said, "Like it or not, Jonathan's a die in the wool bureaucrat."

Rhonda laughed at their shared joke.

"A damn sexy one at that…but listen he's up for an assignment and the FBI might, just maybe keep your fingers crossed assign him to Dallas."

"Oh that would be wonderful. Dallas isn't that far from Houston."

"I know and it's no DC for sure…I mean this place has its own charms I'm sure but I'll be glad to put it in our rear view mirror."

C.J. heard the enthusiasm in her voice and hoped that she'd see Rhonda soon.

"Hey, what's with you and Houston," Rhonda asked, "You ever getting married?"

C.J. paused…not that it was a sore topic but because they had only just gotten together and she wanted to enjoy that with him. She knew in her heart he was the only guy she'd ever want to wed and that he loved her but they needed to enjoy those little steps they still needed to take to get to that place.

"Should I just shut my big mouth now?"

C.J. sighed.

"No…we're just got so much to deal with right now…two expanding careers and then the trial coming up…hopefully sooner rather than later."

"Jonathan says there's no date yet."

C.J. ran her hand through her hair, knowing that he kept abreast of a case he had worked so hard on even though he wasn't really assigned to it.

"No…I have a meeting with the prosecutor again last week so maybe that means something."

"I hope so C.J. I just want you to be able to put it behind you and enjoy your life without worrying…"

"I do enjoy my life…I've learned to put this case in its proper place. After all, most of what happens is outside of my control anyway."

Rhonda paused.

"I hope they fry for what they did to you…starting with Scott…god, what a piece of work he turned out to be."

C.J. sighed, definitely agreeing but that had been the part of the case that had shaken Matt in a different way, to discover such a serious act of betrayal by a man he had long considered a close friend. And when he had discovered the depths of it…it had caused him pain but he had put it aside because he had so much wanted to be there for what she had gone through. But she still wondered if he'd fully dealt with it and any feelings of misplaced guilt he might have about Scott's involvement in the trafficking ring and her own ordeal.

"Well, Jonathan's back from his training…god he's putting in such late nights…talk to you later."

"Bye…," C.J. said, before clicking off the phone.

She walked into the kitchen to make herself that tea to help her sleep trying to keep her mind off of Matt and this nagging feeling that something just didn't feel quite right. He had taken a client who had been this wealthy CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. Some guy named Stefan Kostas who she hadn't ever met but Matt had told her he had met him in Europe during his time away from L.A. and that the man had contacted him interested in some security work. And this latest trip to some faraway country had been part of that job.

She fixed her tea and as she waited for it to steep, she found herself wondering about Matt's latest client.


	3. Chapter 3

Matt and Zeke both looked at the man who pointed a gun at them in the secured room. The man shook his head and put the gun down.

"I didn't know you were breaking in tonight."

Matt stared back at the man who had hired him.

"That's kind of the point," he said, "We needed to be able to map your security system. That's what you did pay us to do."

Stefan Kostas smiled at them.

"I have my security right here," he said, "If necessary, the two of you would have been lying dead on that floor."

Matt had no doubt about that but the multi-millionaire businessman had vulnerabilities in that system that he and Zeke had just unmasked to get as far into his house as they did. He stroked his jaw line with his thumb.

"Well a gun can just as easily wind up in the burglar's hand and what if your family had been here?"

The man kept smiling but Matt noticed his eyes hadn't left the two of them for a second. The guy looked all predator. He stood as tall as Matt and if he'd had a lean frame once, it had filled out with solid muscle some time ago. His hair was brown, but not too dark and his face amused, from his dark blue eyes down to his beard. Matt had met him while climbing a mountain in Germany two years earlier and not too long ago, Stefan had found the security firm and contracted it out. But in order to design a new, better and most importantly customized system, they had to evaluate the current one including its flaws.

"I keep my family safe like I'm sure you do yours and they're at a vacation home."

Matt figured as much. Men as wealthy as Stefan no doubt had houses, bungalows, chalets and condos all over the world but they still picked a home base and this had been it for him.

"Well, your system's not bad…a few weaknesses which could be exploited but nothing that can't be improved."

Stefan nodded.

"That's what I'm paying you for," he said, "What am I looking at?"

Matt paused.

"I have to go back and enter the data to figure that out and draw up the schematics," he said, "We can talk about it in say, a week."

Stefan considered that.

"I can do that," he said, "I've got business in the States next week, actually I'll be there for a month or longer."

"Maybe you can drop by Houston," Matt said, "See our business setup and meet my partner Dan."

Stefan nodded again.

"I'm looking forward to that," he said, "What about you, Mr. Houston, do you have a family?"

Matt smiled.

"Yes…I have a girlfriend back home."

Stefan smiled again

"I'm looking forward to meeting her as well."

* * *

><p>C.J. sat in the coffee spot, drinking her morning jolt of java with Chris and Fran, something they did most days before heading off to their respective jobs. Being pregnant, Chris had sworn off coffee, opting for tea and Fran had teased her about it before showing them the latest photos of her own twins.<p>

C.J. and Chris appropriately fussed over them and then Fran turned to look at C.J.

"So you got that meeting this morning with those agents?"

C.J. rolled her eyes.

"Yeah…and I can't stand Simon," she said, "Really if he were to just quit or retire tomorrow, I'd throw a party."

Fran chuckled.

"Jonathan used to complain about him and then joined up with the FBI."

"It's a big agency," C.J. said, "I'm sure they can make sure there's plenty of bureaucracy and miles in between them."

"Sally sounds reasonable enough," Chris said, "but then she's not FBI."

C.J. nodded, sipping her coffee.

"No, she's still U.S. Marshal and they're only slightly saner," she said, "At least with the trial being postponed again, I can focus on work."

Fran sighed.

"You still have time for play don't you," she said, "You are coming to my kids' birthday next week."

C.J. smiled.

"Wouldn't miss it," she said, "Hopefully Houston will be in town for it."

Chris heard the wistfulness in her friend's voice.

"You know if the traveling's getting to be too much," she said, "I could talk to my husband."

C.J. shook her head.

"Oh no…it's fine…it's what he wants to do and it's not like I don't travel on business either."

C.J. had to leave Matt behind too on some of her business trips and kept herself very busy as not to miss him just as he did with her. Today she had to meet with Simon who drove her nuts and Sally who had just been transferred to the Dallas office. She tended to be no nonsense about her work and had risen up to a supervising position during the past couple of years. C.J. had found her to be an effective buffer on some of Simon's more forceful qualities.

"Matt should be back in a couple of days shouldn't he," Chris said, "Dan said it's a short term assignment."

"Yeah…he's testing some millionaire business tycoon's security system on some estate overseas. The guy's a genius in pharmaceuticals."

"Sounds exotic…Dan says he's a good account, just what they need to take it to the next level with that security system they developed."

C.J. sipped her coffee.

"Houston loves that part of the job where he gets to breaks into people's houses," she said, "I think he misses being an investigator sometimes, though he keeps saying that the firm's doing well with Brody and his uncle at the helm."

"I'm sure he loves his life here."

C.J. nodded at her friends, knowing that and she missed their partnership sometimes too. Not that she'd change the life they were building together right now. She hadn't ever been happier than she had been since they'd returned from Colorado.

"Yeah…we've enjoyed working on the house," she said, "Hopefully we'll get it finished by Christmas time."

"I guess you can take the folks out of the ranch but not the ranch out of the two of you," Fran observed, "I can't wait to see your spread when it's done."

C.J. smiled.

"We'll be throwing a party when that day finally comes…might just be the biggest in that whole corner of Texas."

Chris chuckled.

"Especially if Matt tosses in a rodeo…remember that time back at his California ranch…"

C.J. listened, reveling in the reality that her memories of life back in L.A. no longer haunted her.

* * *

><p>Stefan had given Matt and Zeke a tour of his magnificent estate including the portion of it that extended on a bluff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. He showed them the impressively stables of prizewinning show horses and the arena where they trained, then he led them to his collection of big felines including a Siberian Tiger, a pride of lions and a golden Jaguar.<p>

"Have any of them ever escaped," Matt asked as he watched the Jaguar pace the enclosure.

"No… they know their limits and the futility of it…part of their beauty."

Matt thought that a strange way of looking at it as they continued to the reptile house where he housed species of lizards and snakes most of them deadly in some form or other…a rather strange hobby for a millionaire to collect dangerous creatures. Zeke just shot him a look as they followed Stefan over to where the estate overlooked a lagoon a hundred feet below. The water shimmered a teal color and Matt could see whitecaps riding onto the beach.

"Beautiful and rugged isn't it?"

He looked over at Stefan who looked quite pleased.

"Are you going to tell me you're raising man eating sharks there?"

Stefan laughed.

"I've got property all over the world but this is my favorite spot," Stefan said, which is why I want it protected with the latest in technology."

"You keep any trade secrets in that secured room?"

Stefan looked at him intently.

"From my pharmaceutical firm, no," he said, "Those are in a location under much tighter security. What's in my house is more of a personal value."

They walked away from the bluff, back towards the path to the mansion.

"There's ways to keep that room more secured," Matt said, "I can include that as part of the analysis."

Stefan hesitated.

"Oh…of course…I don't know what's there that someone would want to steal but better to be safe, right?"

Matt looked at him, still not sure he had really learned much about his client. He had read articles in magazines and newspapers about how private Stefan kept his life away from his business successes. Because of that, there had also been considerable speculation about how he really passed that time, rumors of illicit affairs on business trips and whether or not he might be hiding stashes of his fortune offshore to evade paying taxes on it. But it had never been anything more than that, just rumors…similar to those that had circulated around Matt most of his professional life.

He and C.J. had faced many rumors themselves in the past few years because of what they had been through, including when both of them seemed to drop off the face of the earth for months spent in hiding culminating in an explosive conclusion on an island in the Caribbean. And with one of the largest federal criminal cases heading to trial, both had been subject to more media scrutiny than either wanted.

Such as it were with the lives of the rich or famous whether they asked for it or not and Matt knew that Stefan had been aware of that.

"Yeah, it's better to be safe…"

The three of them headed back to the mansion to finalize the deal before they went their separate ways, which for Matt meant heading home back to Houston and the woman that he loved.

* * *

><p>C.J. sat in her office staring at Simon, who had crashed in there uninvited with news that the federal prosecutors were hedging on whether or not to grant Alisha save haven and complete immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony in a huge case involving an international drug ring.<p>

"I hate you…"

Simon smiled and leaned back in his chair across from her.

"It's not my call C.J…," he said, "you know how it is with those damn attorneys."

She raised her brows and he sighed.

"Present company excluded…most of the time, but they make the call and we both know that."

She folded her arms.

"You didn't even want to give her a chance only a few months ago."

He rubbed his jaw.

"Let's say I had a change of heart," he said, "but you wore me down counselor. Still we might need to work on Sally from the Marshal's branch."

C.J. sipped her coffee.

"Yeah she's an odd one," she said, "I mean I like her work ethic but she's been all over the place on this drug case."

Simon couldn't disagree.

"Well, this isn't the only case she's gone hot and cold on either…there's been the trafficking case but then you know that."

Simon was nothing but not direct. But despite his flaws, she appreciated that one virtue because she preferred that to people tiptoeing around her on the ordeal that had changed her life forever.

"Yeah…well she's still carrying guilt about what happened with her partner Brad just like Jonathan did."

"Only she didn't quit…"

C.J. shot him a look.

"He's working on your team now," she said, "and if he gets assigned out this way, you could be working together again."

Simon grimaced and she almost laughed.

"That's a long shot at best," he said, "My guess is that he might get Denver."

C.J. figured that would hardly be the end of the world for Jonathan given that he had grown up not too far away from that city and Thea would love to have her only child near the ranch where he'd grown up.

"He'd like that…being around family…"

Simon looked up and shrugged.

"I wouldn't know…but as long as he remembers Uncle Sam comes first."

He got up to leave, meaning that their meeting had ended and she pulled her phone out of her purse to check for messages. Smiling, she saw one from Matt and called him back.

He picked up right away.

"Hiya C.J."

She smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Hiya Houston…I take it this means you're coming home soon?"

"Yes I am…the pilot's prepping the jet right now and I'm dropping Zeke off on Miami because he's going fishing for a couple days with Vince and his sons and then I'll be back home before you know it."

"Then you'll be back by tomorrow?"

"Late afternoon probably… why don't we meet for dinner?"

"Houston…I thought we'd maybe get some pizza…Texas barbecue of course and maybe hang out together at home."

She could feel his smile across the thousands of miles and all the time zones.

"That sounds better…I can't wait to see you."

"Me too…see you then…I love you, you know."

"I love you too darling and I'll be back before you know it," he said, before hanging up.

She put her phone back in her purse and leaned back in her chair. They had both been so busy since they returned from Colorado, buried in hours and days filled with work it seemed, and then the traveling…maybe it was time for them to sit down and figure out how to stake out time when they'd actually see each other. When he got back from Europe.

After they celebrated his homecoming of course.

* * *

><p>Matt clicked off his phone and looked over where Zeke had gone to get some magazines to read on the flight back. The pilot would be handling the flying so Matt planned on spending part of the flight entering the data he received from this job into the system so they could get the report started before he reached Houston.<p>

And then after that, he'd lie on one of the couches in the cabin and get some sleep because he wanted to be fully energized when he saw C.J. for the first time in several days.

He was so focused on finalizing his plans for going home he didn't notice the man sitting on the bench inside the flight terminal who had been staring at him.


	4. Chapter 4

When she came back home, she saw that he had beaten her there. His business pack was sitting on the floor next to the sofa in the living room and his suitcase in their bedroom still waiting to be unpacked. She had finished her work and a couple of meetings early and then had done a little shopping with Chris who had needed some new maternity clothes so they had headed off to a boutique. Chris had been adamant that she hadn't wanted anything cutesy, because she had to be taken seriously in the business world.

So the two of them had wandered around to check out the maternity styles and found some that actually looked quite stylish, and downplayed pregnancy without making it look like the woman had something to hide. When Chris went to try them on, C.J. had continued looking at the different clothing, imagining what it would like if she ever had to buy it.

No wait; it wouldn't be a matter of if, but of when because she knew she wanted to have a family of her own someday along with the man she had chosen in Matt. Not that it would be anytime soon, she thought because they were still trying to build their life together amid all the craziness of their careers and the unpredictability of the court case.

And they still had to work on finding more time to spend together.

After Chris had purchased a couple respectable outfits, they had headed on to their respective homes and C.J. had hoped that he would have made it there before she did.

She found him in the back yard, sitting on the patio with some papers splashed on the table in front of where he sat. He appeared so busy that he didn't even hear her approach him.

"Hi there…"

He looked up and blinked his eyes and then a slow smile appeared on his face.

"Well hello yourself," he said, "Did you just get here?"

She nodded.

"What about you…how was your flight?"

He stretched.

"Smooth flying…dropped off Zeke in Miami before coming here…"

He stood up then and quickly enough, wrapped her up in his arms, holding her close while he kissed her…one of his favorite activities in the whole wide world. When they broke for air finally, she stroked his face, her favorite one on earth and looked at him intently.

"I've missed you so much Houston…"

He stroked her hair off of her face.

"I'm back and it's going to be for a while."

The smile that lit up her face made it all worthwhile and then before she could say anything, he swooped her off her feet and into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck before they headed into their favorite room in their entire house.

* * *

><p>They held each other close as they made love. They had shed their clothing quickly enough and then kissed and stroked each other until they made it to their bed. As he rocked against her, she sighed thinking that the journey she took to get to the point where she could be this close to the man she loved had been definitely worth it. He kissed her softly as the sun gently set outside the window causing the room to dim and shadows to dance on the walls.<p>

Not that they paid any attention, so wrapped up they were in each other. Often this was how it went when one of them returned from a business trip. Dinner was often moved further down the list of things to do during their reunion, tonight it would be pizza and wine. But first things first and that was celebrating their time together, after being apart.

Afterward, they lay together tangled up in their bed sheets, their bodies returning back to earth. She lay with her head on his bare chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow as his hands wrapped around her.

"Missed you…"

She smiled, stroking his shoulder.

"I can tell. So you really are planning on sticking around this time?"

He sighed, the traveling nature of his work not being his favorite part. Not that he didn't love the work that he did, but now that the two of them lived together, he found himself spending a lot of his away time thinking about the day he'd head back. The days and nights they spent together away from their respective careers were golden including the weekends spent renovating the ranch house. Soon enough, hopefully by Christmas they'd move out of Houston and get settled on their new spread. It seemed a natural enough progression because he had found the woman he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. They had been taking this newer relationship of theirs slowly and working their way through what both of them had faced the past several years. But during quieter times like now, they just enjoyed each other.

"Yeah, for the rest of the month at least, although Stefan Kostas is dropping in the U.S. to conduct business and Dan and I are scheduled to meet with him next week."

"Is he going to buy your system?"

Matt sighed.

"He hasn't said yet but it looks promising," he said, "He'd be a major account for the firm."

"What was he like…I mean I've read so much about him?"

Matt thought about it because despite their meetings and run ins with each other, he still didn't feel as if he really knew the businessman.

"He's intelligent, a well-respected CEO of a major company but he seems to be a very private man."

"He's got a family doesn't he?"

"Yeah…wife and kids that weren't at the estate," Matt said, "but then he's got properties all over the world."

C.J. snuggled closer to him.

"Seems intriguing but with the type of business he runs, it'd seem like he'd need a sophisticated security detail."

Matt knew few industries were more secretive and more cutthroat than pharmaceuticals. Espionage was a cornerstone of most of them and he had no doubt that Stefan knew that score yet…something else about the man had struck him.

"Yes he definitely would…but I don't know, there's more to the guy than what's on the surface…someone like that could have a whole other life that lay beneath that."

C.J. raised her head to look at him, her dark hanging loosely.

"That could describe most people Houston,"

"True but someone with all that money, they could pull it off much more easily, to have some other life to slip into when their public one became too complicated."

Matt knew he had done that himself more than once including several years ago when faced with his broken engagement with Elizabeth, his life had spiraled to the point where he had just taken off one night, walking away from his life with no forwarding address. He had wandered around the world, from one country to the next with few people he meant knowing his real identity, even as the tabloids ran headlines speculating on his vanishing act.

But sojourns like that, hadn't come without costs. Within days of his own departure, C.J. had been abducted in the parking lot of their office building in L.A. and forced into a nightmare that still hung over them even now. Not to the same degree but Matt knew that until those left who were responsible faced their crimes in court it wouldn't be over. In the meantime, the two of them kept living their lives.

For C.J. it had been different because for months, she had been forced to shed her own identity and adopt another one, even a different name. The day that she had been able to begin to reclaim her life back had been among the most precious, every day a gift since.

Because it could all so easily be taken away, she knew.

"Houston…"

He squeezed her closer to him and she smiled in his embrace.

"What…"

"I'm so glad you're home."

* * *

><p>They sat in the living room eating delivery pizza, Texas barbecue style of course and drinking some wine he had picked up in Europe. Dressed only in their robes and with the room dimly lit…Matt thought the way the light reflected off of her hair to be most beautiful but it was the spirit inside the woman in front of him that had blossomed since they had returned to Houston together. He knew it hadn't been an easy road for her and she still struggled sometimes especially with dealing with the delays and setbacks of the upcoming federal trial where she would serve as one of its primary witnesses. She's been a lawyer since Harvard but her experience in court had been mainly with questioning witnesses, not sitting in the box herself.<p>

She had testified at several grand jury proceedings but that had been different because the defense attorneys hadn't been privy to the confidential hearings let alone been able to cross-examine the prosecution witnesses.

In a trial itself, everything would change and he knew that she had been working with the attorneys assigned to the task preparing for the day that would surely come when she would testify in public. It had been grueling enough for her to narrate in front of the grand jury what had happened to her at the hands of one of the most notorious human traffickers, but a trial…would be one of the greatest challenges she had ever faced.

At least among those that she hadn't had to survive and call that victory enough.

She didn't talk to him very much about the upcoming trial because when she left the federal building, she just wanted to keep as much of that chapter of her life locked up behind its walls. He had to testify as well but in a much more limited role. Still for both of them since the course of the judicial proceedings had taken several unpredictable turns, it became difficult to plan their life around its eventuality.

And it made it hard for C.J. to plan for their future because whenever he nudged the talk in that direction, she closed herself off to it, not so much abruptly as changing the subject to something else. He never pushed her when she did that, not wanting to back her into any corner. But he wanted her to know that they had a future together so he showed her in other ways while he patiently waited.

She looked over at him suddenly as if she knew what he'd been thinking.

"Houston…I have a meeting tomorrow with the prosecutors…Hopefully that means that they'll start the trial before the end of the year."

Matt knew that she didn't really harbor much of that because it had been postponed so many times already.

She sighed, looking at her hands and he knew at the silvery scars that would always intertwine around her fingers.

"What are the chances that it won't be delayed?"

She looked up at him and he read the answer in her eyes.

"I know it's been dragging out Houston and I'm so sorry about that…"

His face softened.

"You have nothing to be sorry about…I just want you to have your day when you can tell the world your story."

He knew that she badly wanted that even though it had been a journey steeped in fear and pain that had etched so deeply inside of her, deeper than the shards of glass had done to her hands when she had escaped from her prison.

"If Scott would have just taken that deal…"

Matt sighed, remembering well how that had gone, the back and forth between his former college friend and the prosecutors. He had cut a deal to turn states evidence for the government's protection but in the past year, he had hired some famous attorney and now all deals were off. That meant that he had returned into the pool of defendants set to be tried on conspiracy and trafficking charges which had stalled the proceedings for six months already.

A part of Matt wished he could have killed Scott when he had the chance.

"Houston, it's going to work out, it has to…these men can't avoid the consequences forever."

Matt thought that in a fair and just world that they would have been in prison by now and back in the Wild West that his ancestors had lived in while settling in Texas the men would have been hung from the scaffolds after their trials.

But in reality, so much could still happen to delay the process, more motions could be filed to stall the process as long as possible. More money could be thrown around by these defendants who still were flush despite their revenue sources being frozen by several governments. Despite the attempts of over a hundred agencies worldwide, the trafficking of slaves through underground networks around the globe still continued unabated.

Andre's death and the collapse of his inner circle had shaken up human trafficking for a while but it had rebounded and then there was that other complication…the fact that one major player had slipped into the shadows before he could be captured by the dragnet.

The Jaguar hadn't been seen or heard from since the raids at Andre's compound on Sapphire Island but that didn't mean he wasn't still out there. After all this time and indepth investigations, no one seemed to be able to give the man a name or an identity. Few even knew what he looked like, not that it mattered much because in the modern age, a person's physical appearance could be so easily altered. Done as easily as changing their identity…

"It's already been too long."

She took a deep breath.

"I know but I can't stop living Houston…and despite it all, this has been the happiest time of my life…and getting together with you, that's the best."

He smiled, because the feeling about that development had definitely been mutual. Their life might be a difficult struggle at times to find their way through it but he'd never trade it in for anything else. He just loved her too damn much.

"You are done eating?"

She looked at his expression and nodded. He moved closer to her after scooting their plates and glasses out of the way.

"Come here…"

She moved over to him and he wrapped his arms around her and their lips found each other easily enough.

And in a few seconds, they forgot everything around them but each other.


	5. Chapter 5

She dreamed of him that night even though she knew he had died. Still, he hadn't released his hold on her entirely and in her dreams, he still fought to control her. But she had gained enough of her power back to get away, even to get some blows in return. But still, she sometimes woke up in a cold sweat, her heart racing.

Right into the arms of the man sleeping beside her, who would pull her closer countless times and speak softly even though he knew at first she didn't hear him…it took some time for his voice to reach her.

"I'm sorry…"

She had said that so many times before as well as he stroked her damp hair back off her face.

"What have you got to be sorry about," he said, "I'm here if you need me…now settle that head down on my chest and we can talk about it."

She did that, and she loved the way the warmth of his skin felt against her cheek, his heartbeat soothed her because it reminded her that life was stronger than death and love, stronger than both of them.

"It's just the same dream…about Andre. I know he's dead but when I'm asleep, sometimes he still looks for me…and I try to hide and then I realize I'm the strong one, the one who survived, not him."

Matt listened. He knew how strong the dream world could be, how easily it wove its tendrils in the living world, he had learned that when he had struggled with his own nightmares after his own traumatic experiences in different points of his life beginning when he'd been kidnapped as a young boy.

"You did survive…and we're both here and we'll be together."

He spoke the truth because it had taken them so long to get where they were now. The years spent deepening their friendship had lain a foundation for a whole different branch of love to sprout as well, even against what had seemed to be a fight for more than just life.

They had said the words they needed to each other, that they were in love and he had his own idea of the steps he wanted to take with the woman he loved more than any other. She had been his friend back to childhood and a few months ago, she had become his lover. Their relationship had ripened since then and he couldn't imagine his life without her at his side. She had struggled to get to that point in ways that he hadn't but she had been his partner.

If they could only organize their challenging careers enough to be in the same place at the same time like they were now more often. He had no plans to travel on business for a while and she didn't have to either so they were looking forward at some serious time to spend together.

"I have a meeting with the prosecutor tomorrow," C.J. said, "It's that guy Derek."

"You okay with that?"

She considered that and she knew she had to be ready for anything if she was ever going to make it to the other side. But she had Matt right there with her and she trusted him with that.

"I'm ready…I've been ready for the next step, but with all these delays and prosecutors getting reassigned and transferred," she said, "Sometimes I wonder if anyone wants to touch this case."

Matt heard her frustration even as he realized she was sleepy again. But then again, the trafficking case that the feds were putting together had grown massive. Even with Andre's death, there was no shortage of defendants, not to mention other supporting characters trying to carve out deals for themselves.

"Someone will deal with it," he said, "No one wants these thugs to have any chance at getting back in business."

C.J. shivered at the thought of that part of the evil returning that they had worked hard to eradicate…at least a tiny bit. But sometimes she felt it was like a hydra…cut one arm off and three grew in its place. There had to be away to stop that, to rid one section of it so it couldn't regenerate.

Maybe these newer prosecutors had some strategies to do that. She hoped so, as she drifted back to sleep again in the arms of the man who had risked his life to slay some of her demons.

C.J. just sat in the chair in Derek's office and stared at him.

"What did you ask me?"

He sighed as he poured himself another cup of coffee. She had nixed after one cup because the caffeine just made her tenser, and she had enough of that when dealing with the prosecutors.

"I asked you did you experience any pleasure when Andre Duval…"

She sighed.

"You mean when he raped me…which time…the first time on the floor after I got there or all those times later on?"

He interlocked his fingers, his index fingers pointing up like a steeple.

"The defense is going to ask more difficult, more painfully intimate questions than that one."

She just stared at him.

"I know that…I worked as a public defender in Houston after Harvard. I know what they have to do to help their clients…but no, I most definitely did not get off on being raped."

He smacked his lips together in thought, at her answer perhaps but most likely at the next question in line.

"Did he use a condom at all?"

She just blinked.

"No…I told them…I had to get it a pregnancy test in Colorado…because I thought he'd gotten me pregnant…that I was carrying my rapist's baby. Why would I have done that if he was using them?"

He jotted down some notes on his laptop.

"It doesn't matter really…we don't have a forensic rape kit on you. No DNA from him."

She just rubbed her forehead.

"I don't think they thought to do one when they were trying to save my life," she said, "Besides he didn't…for a few days before I escaped."

"He was away from the compound?"

She nodded.

"Not at first but one night…when he was there, he didn't do anything to me…I don't remember everything but I think I'd remember that."

"Were you ever drugged?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe…there were parts of when I was there I don't remember…pieces messing of my memories…but I don't know if it was from being drugged. I just don't remember it all."

He wrote some notes about that as well.

"You said that he told you he had sold you to another trafficker…this Jaguar…"

She folded her arms and stared right at him.

"Yeah he did…I don't know who he was…there was a guy at the compound who came for me…."

"The one you stabbed in the neck?"

She nodded.

"But one of the U.S. Marshal agents killed him…when he reached for a weapon…"

She shrugged.

"So I was told…I was so focused on getting back to Houston and wanting to know if he made it okay."

Derek nodded.

"Yes Mr. Houston…got himself a bullet wound playing hero, lucky these traffickers didn't kill him."

She gritted her teeth.

"I owe my life to him in more than one way," she said, "He's my hero and you can include that in your notes."

He sighed, closing the computer lid and looking at her.

"Look I'm not trying to make this any harder than it has to be, but I'm new to this case, I inherited a room full of boxes just on you from the last batch of lawyers and I've got gaps to fill and questions I need answered to move forward."

She leaned forward, her body tense.

"You will be doing that won't you?"

He nodded.

"Yes I will but I need a lot of help from you and I need you to trust me."

"Trust is earned…"

He leaned back in his chair, interlinking his hands again.

"Okay…I get that but I've got your witness testimony that you were raped multiple times by Duval and I've got that woman…Elena to testify to what she saw."

C.J. rubbed her forehead again. She wondered if Elena were any more ready to answer this guy's questions than she had been. Elena had reached the point in her own journey that she had settled into a new life and the trial might knock some curves into it.

"Antonio knew about it," C.J. said, "but he's dead."

Derek nodded.

"I know…he finally did the right thing…"

C.J. sighed.

"He wasn't thinking about wrong or right, it was all about finding and protecting his sisters," she said, "One he couldn't save and the one who's building a life for herself out of state."

"Okay…so back to my original question?"

She tried to focus on keeping her emotions out of this exercise but damn, it was much easier said than done. Sometimes she could detach herself from what happened but other times…she found herself back on that cold floor with Andre's body pinning her to the ground while he broke off and took a new piece from her each time.

"No, I didn't feel pleasure…I felt pain…you know when you make love with someone, your body prepares itself for what's a gift but when you're raped, it's like a knife stabbing you…it just felt like I was being ripped apart."

He gestured to the ever present box of tissues but she shook her head.

"I'm just saying that I had always thought I'd be prepared for anything that I faced…but not for that. I was his prisoner and his slave, he used me again and again and then he sold me…I don't even to who really…I don't have a face or anything…I wouldn't know this man if I passed him on the street."

Derek grimaced.

"The Jaguar is a much different animal, no pun intended than an Andre Duval," he said, "Based on what you say and some evidence backs it up, he had some sort of obsession with you, long-lasting that drove him."

C.J. didn't need any prosecutor to tell her what she knew already.

"I think I reminded him of someone else…maybe his mother," she said, "I saw a picture of her with his father, Marquis Duval."

Derek leaned back in his chair.

"Ah yes, the terrorist kingpin…well anyway with The Jaguar, there wouldn't be any of that because you had no prior connection to him. It's all about business; he doesn't have Andre's proclivities. But whoever's face he wears, he's much more ruthless."

"So I've heard."

"We busted a house of his, a brothel and most of the women were dead…doped up by drugs using infected needles and pimped out until they dropped."

C.J. knew that as bad as her ordeal had been that other women, most of the women caught up between the two trafficking kings who had once been partners, faced a much more horrific nightmare.

"They wore brands like what was left of yours," Derek said, "They took some photos of it before they did the debridement."

What had been necessary to treat the infection that had raced through her body quickly enough nearly taking her life. She'd since had the last of it removed and replaced with a tattoo. But it had been her proof of ownership, that she had been a slave, bought and sold, to be handed over to a man who had no face.

* * *

><p>Matt listened while the phone rang and then was picked up half way around the world. Derek and he had pored over the computer that morning that had been fed data pertaining to Stefan's estate and its security needs.<p>

But he had gotten the millionaire businessman on the phone to finalize some details.

"That should do it," Matt said finally, "so when you coming out here?"

"Next week…I look forward to meeting with you in person and meeting your lovely girlfriend."

"Yeah C.J.'s pretty busy these days, but she'll be at the party."

"I'll see her there," Stefan said, "and I'll see you next week. I trust you'll have some specs by then."

Matt leaned back in his chair in his office, gazing at the photo of him and C.J. standing in front of the new house they had just purchased.

"Oh I'll be mostly done with the preliminaries…I think you'll be impressed."

"I hope so, it's been interesting doing business with you at last."

Matt agreed and after that, they both hung up. His eyes returned to the schematics on the computer as Dan knocked on the door.

"Come in…I think you need to take a look at this," Matt said, and Dan walked on over to gaze at the screen.

"It's going to be a challenging system to design but it will be great business for us."

Matt couldn't agree more and was interested in seeing how the meetings would go down next week with his client.

"You still feel like there's something you don't know about him?"

Matt looked at Dan who still gazed at the terminal.

"Yeah…but we all have our private lives…don't we," he said.

But like his partner, he carried the same questions.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi, I hope readers are enjoying this story and that it makes some sense! I'm trying to catch up with some FF so I'll be updating this one as well pretty soon and thanks as always for reading and feedback!

* * *

><p>The man dressed in the impeccable business suit looked up from the phone in his office that he housed inside his private Lear jet, one of a fleet of them he had parked all over the globe in differnet airports and airstrips.<p>

Stefan had wrapped up business with Matt and Zeke regarding the security audit they did on his estate and had to pack to go to a business trip in Oslo before he'd be jetting to the United States for an extended period in a few days. He sat back in his customized chair after retrieving some Vodka out of his liquor cabinet and pouring a glass. He didn't usually drink while he worked except on plane trips, because he didn't like being cooped up in confined places, he hadn't since he'd been a young boy and a little bit of Vodka with or without a mixer helped him relax enough to get through the flight.

Not much work to be done on the Oslo presentation, just some paperwork to review and jot some last minute notes. He had plans to do the PowerPoint himself on the new drug protocol to alleviate the concerns of some of the stockholders. He had taken a hands off approach for quite a while from his company but now it had become more imperative than ever to return to it.

If only to cover up his tracks.

Stefan hadn't only been the CEO of one of the emerging powers in the heavily competitive pharmaceutical industry; he had an even more lucrative business in trade on the side. One which had driven him underground as of late as a dragnet of over 100 investigative agencies from all around the world led by those in the United States had been on a witch hunt searching the furthest corners of the earth for human traffickers particularly those in the sex trade.

His pharmaceutical company could never hope to approach the annual earnings from his trafficking interests. He along with a couple of partners including the late Andre Duval had controlled a huge chunk of the sex trafficking on four continents but that had turned out to be far more tenuous than any of them had believed. Like a house of cards, the portions of the business controlled by Andre and another one named Lucian had fallen under the heels of the global investigations. Andre hadn't survived it though he had been betrayed by one of his own security men and Lucian had disappeared somewhere in South Eastern Asia after a string of brothels and massage parlors had been raided there by governmental forces who in a rare show of force arrested brothel madams as they were called, the traffickers who supervised them and even several corrupt high ranking police officials.

No, Stefan had no desire of winding up either dead like Andre or a likely fugitive condemned to a life underground like Lucian. He had fully intended to slip back into his public life, wear it like a well worn glove and hide in plain sight while the feds, Interpol and everyone else in between tried to hunt down the Jaguar. He poured himself a second glass of Vodka, rare for this type of flight but his thoughts had taken him places he hadn't really wanted to venture. After all, he had a blueprint in place to fall into if necessary and to sever all ties to his other life, as long as necessary. He knew the intelligence agencies were waiting for the vacuum to be filled in the trafficking industry now that Andre and presumably Lucian were out of the picture.

They were waiting for him to surface, to pick up the reins of the entire operation and set out to challenge his competitors, just long enough until the law enforcement agencies could nab him. But he was much smarter than that, knowing that right now, he had to be like the jaguar, lie on the strong limb of a tall tree, while waiting and watching the world below him.

Until he decided what to do next, to return into that business or leave it behind forever.

For now, he had his corporation to run and that meant lining up some more deals and improving the security systems at some of his prime estates. He believed that the man he had met several years ago on top of a mountain overlooking a small town in Germany worked for the right firm. Not that the security firm had been his only reason for resuming his acquaintance with Matt but for now it would provide excellent cover, not to mention a top of the market security system to hide all his professional secrets.

A lovely woman with blonde hair coiffed into a smart bun and dressed in an expensive tailored dark suit brought him some manila folders from where she sat in the main cabin.

"I finished these for you," she said handing them to him.

He smiled up at her.

"Thanks Sasha…I know you've done your usual excellent work. I'm not sure what I'd do without you."

She smiled back, her eyebrows arched.

"Hope you'll never have to find out," she said, "But the specs should be as you provided them to me. The new drug protocol has gone through its first of three phases of testing and the results will be available by the end of the week from Zurich."

"That's great. When we're done with the conferences in Oslo and Copenhagen, we'll be heading off to the States for a while."

She nodded, taking a seat in a nearby chair. He reached for a glass and poured her some Vodka.

"Ah, yes the security system," she said, "Matt's been working on it."

Stefan's brows rose.

"You seem awfully familiar with him, considering the time that's passed since you last saw him."

"Yes, but it was a memorable time with him," she said, "under a different name."

Stefan sighed.

"He's going to remember that time, Clarissa."

She leaned forward, looking at him carefully.

"We can come up with a cover story Stefan, you know that and I have the ID under that old name. I can be very useful to you and have a little fun besides."

Stefan clenched his jaw.

"Don't have too much fun with him," he said, "that you forget that you're playing a part in this plan."

She nodded.

"As if I could forget," she said, "Don't you think I'd ever forget where I came from and what I had to do to get where I am today."

She smiled sweetly like a teenage girl might to get what she wanted, before learning more sophisticated tools to use but Stefan knew the woman sitting in front of him, poised and stylishly dressed was a stone cold killer. After all, she worked for him.

He chuckled and she softened back into a more adult smile. She had been an energetic lover the time or two they had put aside their professional relationship and hit the sheets. She might act like his equal sitting here in the room talking to him but she knew who reigned in other arenas and when he'd tied her to his bed one night, she hadn't bolted or even complained that he was too brusque, too rough, too much like a wild animal like the women who couldn't handle his style of adult pursuits.

"So how long are we going to be in the States anyway."

He sucked in a deep breath and then another swallow from his glass.

"Until we're done with what we've got to do."

Sasha looked at him for a moment but he said nothing else.

* * *

><p>C.J. hated Derek, really she did.<p>

She had left her interview with him, almost shaking with anger and with what his questions had unleashed. No matter how much she told herself she'd be prepared to deal with what came next in dealing with the prosecution, she found it never to be the case.

She wondered if she would ever feel better than one step behind those who supposedly were helping her. Derek hadn't acted as if he belonged to that category, with the questions he asked. Yes, she knew he was doing his job which was to help her emotionally and mentally prepare for not just the lengthy testimony ahead of her but to endure the vigorous cross-examination which would follow.

She sat in the office of her therapist right now, and the secretary had told her to just walk into Diane's office. She did that and she sank on the couch, eying the shelves of books which appeared to anchor the spacious office. Diane entered her information in the computer and then looked at her, waiting for her to start the conversation.

"I want to kill him," C.J. finally said, "I know it's wrong but this prosecutor just tap danced on every sensitive part of me and I almost told him to get lost."

"Why didn't you?"

C.J. almost answered but then realized she had to really think about it. She had been angry, she had felt nauseous when his questions probed into areas she kept enclosed deep inside most of the time even still.

"I know he's just doing what he'd have to do," she said, "I'd do the same if I were in his chair."

Diane placed her hands beneath her chin, and looked at her in that analytical way of hers.

"You're not him…tell me how you felt about it."

C.J. looked around the room as she searched her mind for what to say then decided not to censor her thoughts.

"I wanted to kill him. How dare he ask me if I was turned on by being raped…or if Andre used a condom before he…like he'd give a damn what he was doing to me."

"So you feel in other words like a lot of rape survivors do when they're asked questions based on stereotypes against them?"

"I guess so…I mean if Andre had slipped a condom on before he shoved it into me, would that make it any less of a crime what he did? I mean some rapists do that to avoid leaving DNA behind that can get them caught."

Diane nodded.

"That's the rational side of it yes…but condoms are used mainly to prevent disease transmission and pregnancy…Andre didn't care about either did he?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No…I mean thank god, he was clean of everything and that I didn't get pregnant," she said, "I still don't know what I would have done if that test had been positive. I mean I hadn't been with anyone else and it'd be his child and with everything else I had to deal with…including being hunted by him…"

"You had a lot going on C.J. and Andre made all the choices, all the decisions that impacted you including his decision to kidnap you and turn you into his slave."

C.J. gazed out the window at the courtyard, where the flowers had still been in bloom the last couple of months.

"Okay…I know that but when Derek asked questions like that, I know what he's doing and that it's not personal but it feels that way…it feels like he's challenging my version of events and I hate it even as I understand why he's doing that."

Diane sighed.

"That's okay C.J. to tell him that. I'm sure he's used to it and maybe he can keep reminding you that he doesn't mean to hurt you."

C.J. leaned back in her chair.

"But he's just trying to toughen me up for the two or three days I'm going to be on the witness stand at the trial and I think I need that."

Diane looked at her.

"You scared that the day will come when you will have to testify?"

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"I'm more scared that it won't but yes, I worry about it and Houston and I have talked about it a lot but I know I need to do it regardless. I know I can."

Diane nodded.

"That's good and you'll have time to think about the answers to the tougher questions and reconcile them as being apart from what you experienced and what you felt during that period."

"Yeah, I've been trying that already. I have faced that so much in my work anyway with other women."

Diane smiled.

"That's good…you're a tough, resourceful young woman C.J. but you're also empathic towards others and that can be difficult to deal with sometimes but it'll help you over the challenging patches of the trial itself."

"I hope so…but that's a ways off. I've got my work and Houston and I are working on our new house…it keeps us really busy but reminds us that the future we both want is within reach."

* * *

><p>Matt picked up the phone and a loud voice overwhelmed his ear.<p>

"Matt, what's going on out there and when will I see you again?"

Brody, the partner in his investigative firm back in L.A. and the primary investigator of his caseload along with his Uncle Roy had called to give him a status report on his neglected business.

"Not for a while," Matt said, "But have you thought about what I asked you?"

Silence met him.

"I meant what I asked," Matt continued, "I want to turn over my firm to you and the other investigators."

"Matt, maybe you should think about it some more," Brody said, "Not that I wouldn't love to take you up on it but it's your firm. Yours and that lovely girlfriend of yours…you started it together as your baby."

Matt smiled to himself at Brody's recollection of its history but he meant what he said. His life had been transferred to Houston where C.J. had built her own because he had decided she was where she needed to be and he could no longer stay away from her. He's been a bit concerned that it'd be oil and water for him to return back to the roots that he'd left behind but realized quickly enough that he was back home where he belonged.

Not to mention sharing that home with the woman he loved, life didn't get any better than that. But he had to at some point finalize the transfer of his business to his partner.

"We'll do most of the paperwork by email and phone," Matt said, "and then I'll fly out there a couple of times to finalize it."

"Really man…you're serious?"

"Damn straight, that's what I said when C.J. and I were out there after we left Colorado."

"Well okay then…but don't make yourself scarce then and that goes double for your girlfriend."

"Sure thing…"

"Talk to you later then," Brody said and after Matt said goodbye, he clicked off his phone.

He looked at his watch. He had some work to do and then he and C.J. were going to hook up with Chris and Dan at one of their favorite restaurants which was Tex-Mex.

If he hurried, he had just enough time to stop at a store and pick up something before heading on out to meet them.


	7. Chapter 7

C.J. thought about her meetings with Diana and Derek while she drove her car to the dinner party being held by two of her closest friends. She had picked up some wine on the way over and some carbonated grape juice for the mother to be before reaching the house where they lived. They were supposed to have eaten at the restaurant but Chris had decided to have the food delivered to her house instead so everyone had changed their plans quickly. Chris had been a bit indecisive in her planning a lot lately and C.J. knew she had been under some stress with the pregnancy because it had been so hard for her and Dan to get to that point.

A couple guests had already arrived but not Matt, she noticed and she hoped he'd gotten the message about the change in location. She parked her car and after grabbing the bottles, she headed to the door. It swung open and she saw a teenage girl with two earrings in each lobe and a stud on the side of her noise. That and the blue streak woven into her dark mane of hair clearly belonged to Butterfly, who had grown up a lot since Matt and her had rescued her from a child molestation ring. The girl who had bravely faced the murder of her older sister had grown up into a healthy and happy teenager who divided her time between living with Chris and Dan and still visiting her grandmother who had become too weak to take care of her.

"You got here just after Fran and Carlos," Butterfly noted, "They brought the twins…but they're kind of cranky."

C.J. smiled and embraced Butterfly.

"So it's often with babies," she said, "How are you doing?"

The girl shrugged, and C.J. took in her tie dyed shirt, in faded shades of pink and purple and her dark pants and her bracelets, on each wrist.

"School's boring but I'm doing the podcasting for the Homecoming Dance," she said, "Should be tame…but I need it for my college application for UCLA and USC next year."

C.J. couldn't believe that Butterfly had only two years left of high school before she would be heading off to college. Sometimes she still saw her as the solemn little girl with the long brown hair and yet, after having spent time with her in Colorado last summer, she had seen her through her romance with Carter which hadn't gone very far.

"So it's film school still?"

Butterfly looked at her.

"Well yeah…I'm just finishing up some final editing on my class project and I signed up for a film class at the JC."

C.J. smiled as she followed Butterfly who sauntered into the kitchen. She saw Chris standing there over some salad and went to help her, after putting the bottles on the table with the rest of the beverages. Chris had dressed in one of her maternity outfits that wasn't cutesy and a hand rested on her burgeoning pregnancy.

"I'll give you a hand," C.J. said, "How are the fried potatoes looking?"

Chris pulled out the dish which had been covered with foil and C.J. thought they smelled good enough, along with the rest of the food which soaked the kitchen with heavenly aromas.

"I just didn't feel like dressing up and going to the restaurant," Chris said, "I hope you don't mind."

C.J. took the dish out of her friend's hand.

"It's fine…your house is so beautiful anyway…and there's more room for the twins to roam around than in a restaurant."

Chris nodded, realizing that and went back to working on the salad.

"Dan's on his way," she said, "and Matt's picking up some desserts at the bakery."

C.J. told Chris to sit down and get some rest and she sank into a chair.

"Thanks…I think I can get this to work."

C.J. smiled again.

"You'll do just fine," she said, "I know you've got a lot on your plate right now and if you need any help…"

Chris sighed.

"I need to start preparing for this baby's birth even before I go on leave but I just can't seem to find the time."

"I'll be more than happy to help with that and so will Fran…especially since Carlos is working from home right now."

Fran had been so happy with her husband's change of venue for doing his work so that he could take care of the twins while she worked as director of the Women's Foundation and prepared to finish up her MSW degree. Carlos' mother had moved into a house not too far away and did a lot of sitting for the busy couple.

Chris smiled.

"I've got several months at work and then when I'm on leave, I might put in more time at the foundation. In between getting the baby's room ready, if I can."

C.J. knew that her friend was excited about the impending event even if she sounded uncertain at times. Having a baby must be a major change in a woman's life as well as a couple's. She knew that she wanted a family herself more than anything but it would have to wait until the future because she just had too much on her plate right now and she and Matt were navigating their way through the couple thing.

And she wanted to be married first.

So having children was something she thought about occasionally when her busy life wasn't keeping her totally occupied trying to keep it all together.

Matt walked up to the front door and Butterfly let him inside.

"She's in the kitchen with Chris…," she said before breezing off again.

Meaning C.J. and so he walked through the living room and said hi to Fran who was sitting on the floor with her twins while Carlos helped Dan set up outside on the back patio. Matt went to join him but not before stopping in the kitchen and kissing his girlfriend first.

"How was today?"

"I'll talk to you about it later okay?"

His brows arched a little bit but he continued outside to talk to Dan and Carlos who were bemoaning the sad excuse for a season for the Astros.

"Did you hear back from Kostas?"

Matt nodded.

"Just in passing…he's going to be in Oslo and Copenhagen before he heads out this way…the caterers called about the party next week."

Dan nodded.

"It's just going to be small but I was thinking that we could have just a few of the clients who've contacted us about the new system to preview some of the newer components before the convention next month."

Matt picked up a beer from the ice chest.

"That sounds like a plan. "

Dan sighed.

"This guy's a huge client Matt…he could literally push our firm in a bigger direction," he said, "Do you think you're ready for that?"

Matt had thought about it a lot. It wasn't ever about money for him now that he had made his own fortune but to tackle something challenging and now that he was closing the door on his investigative firm back in L.A., this sounded like it fit the bill. It included his forte which was field work and any yearning for doing the nitty gritty could also be satisfied by working with C.J. on some of her cases.

Like the one they had just done together involving Alisha. That one had been grueling especially for C.J. but they had turned the corner with that one hopefully at last.

"Yeah I'm ready but I'd be lying if I didn't say I had my concerns," he said, "There's so much we don't know about the guy."

Dan shrugged.

"I know he's a very secretive man but that likely comes from working in such a cutthroat competitive industry where espionage and double crossing is probably more prevalent than in most other areas of the private sector.

Matt had considered that.

"You know he had a whole secured room of filing cabinets that had nothing to do with his corporation...that's what he wants our system to secure."

"Maybe they contain old family relics or even records."

Matt scratched the back of his neck.

"Maybe…"

Dan sipped his beer.

"Look, he's one of the most highly respected CEOs in the pharmaceutical industry. He's gotten a ton of awards and that new drug protocol that's been in the news lately…"

Yeah Matt had heard all about it, it could revolutionize the industry but not much had been released about it, just enough leaked out to whet the appetite of prospective buyers. Enough to make the competition antsy enough to send out spies to ferret out more information about it if not the formulas themselves.

"I know and he's going be a lucrative client for us…."

Matt didn't finish the rest of his thought, that he had been an investigator long enough for his senses, his intuition to be finely honed enough so that he knew something didn't feel right to him. But Dan was right; Stefan's business would definitely be a landmark day for their firm.

And at least for a while if he worked on this and a couple other accounts, he would be in Houston which definitely worked for him because he missed the time spent with C.J. She had been so wonderful to return to from his trip to Europe and as they held each other and talked, just before falling asleep, he knew that he wouldn't look forward to leaving her again.

Speaking of which she came out holding her beer to check out how the setup was going.

"The food's about ready to serve," she said, "I'll tell everyone to move the party outside."

He smiled at her.

"I'll save a place at the table for you…next to me though the only room left might be on my lap."

Her eyes sparkled.

"Okay cowboy but if I like it…too much, the rest of it will have to wait until we get home."

Dan laughed.

"Oh Matt, you have a live one there."

Matt chuckled too.

"Oh don't I know it…that's fine with me darling…more than fine."

She smiled at them and then headed back to the house to fetch the others. They both watched her go.

"It's great seeing her like that again," Dan said, "the last two years have been so tough for the two of you."

Matt sobered, knowing that all too well but things had been heading in a great direction the past few months for the both of them. They were together again, which was what mattered.

* * *

><p>C.J. settled herself down next to Matt afterward, their passion spent. She stroked his chest while looking at him.<p>

"You would have made one hell of a cowgirl Ms Parsons."

She laughed when she saw his eyebrows waggle again.

"Oh really what score would I have earned with that ride?"

He didn't say anything, just smiled slowly, before kissing her softly on the mouth. She responded and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you Houston…"

"I love you counselor."

She looked at him for a long moment, beautiful to him, the way her skin blushed after making love. He stroked her shoulder which bore the tattoo, a rendition of a frog with a crown tilted on his head. He smiled to himself remembering the back story behind it, a memory of a stolen kiss that tasted so sweet, back in a different lifetime.

"So how did your meetings go?"

She sighed, looking away for a moment.

"I hate the new prosecutor Derek but other than that, okay."

He narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong with him," he said, "Do I need to have a talk with him?"

She smiled.

"No, he's just doing his job but it's hard sometimes remembering that with the questions he asks about what Andre did."

He stroked her face softly.

"Like what?"

She hesitated.

"It doesn't matter really; the defense counsel's questions are going to be much harder than Derek's practice ones."

Matt heard the apprehension even though she tried not to show it.

"You're going to get through it C.J. and you won't be alone…I'll be there in the courtroom if you want me to be."

She nodded.

"Yeah I do…I couldn't have anyone with me for the grand jury hearings or even tell anyone about them. But it's not going to be pleasant."

She had told him most of what had happened to her but not everything. Some things she didn't even want to think about as if she were simply holding them until the day she could testify about all of it.

"That's okay…I can handle it."

And she knew at this point that he could, he had proven that over and over again when she had struggled the past couple of years getting to the place when she'd be ready to sit in the witness box for a couple of days and tell her story.

Before vigorously defending it under cross-examination…in front of the world.

She looked at him and knew that he loved her and she loved him but what she had struggled through had complicated their lives and even their romance in ways that no doubt challenged him more than in his past relationships with women.

Yet he didn't complain…oh they argued sometimes and she knew that the roots of some of those confrontations had been the difficulties they had faced. But they knew how to work through them and their lifelong friendship helped there.

"C.J…are you going to be able to handle it?"

She looked at him, and she nodded but something must have been visible on her face because he wrapped his arms tighter, pulling him closer to her before they both went to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The shadows returned and she found herself back in that faraway place.

She sat on her bed, and she thought that the room had started spinning, and tried to adjust her eyes so everything would stop moving. The two women were standing in front of her talking but she couldn't easily make out what they were saying.

"We need to get her ready for him," an older woman said.

A more familiar voice answered.

"But who is this man and why is he here?"

Silence followed then footsteps of the woman moving.

"That's not our place to ask Elena," she said, "We have work to do."

"I know that but what's really going on here?"

C.J. had struggled to make out the voices as she sat up, her body feeling languid, almost as if she needed to go to sleep.

"Nothing for you to know…now help her get dressed."

Then it grew quiet and she stood in another room, with a shadow looming ahead, who was it she asked as she tried to see.

But it had no face.

C.J. woke up suddenly, sucking in air to breathe as her heart raced, but what she saw was her bedroom with a sliver of sunlight slicing through the window. She looked over at Matt who still lay asleep beside her, wrapped in a sheet. She tried to remember her dream but it wafted away like a trail of smoke.

It's not like she never had this dream before, and it had arisen from a memory that lingered unfinished. She looked over at the clock, realizing she needed to get up. So she did that carefully as not to wake him and grabbed her robe, slipping it on. Her cell phone lay on the dresser and checking it, she realized that Elena had texted her saying she'd be flying in later that day from Denver. C,J. looked forward to seeing her again and had readied the guest bedroom. Elena had several meetings with the federal prosecutors regarding her own testimony but hadn't seemed fazed by any of it. She had buried two of her brothers and then had worked hard at building a new life for herself in her adopted country.

After showering, she slipped into a pair of jeans, a loose knit sweater and some boots. She'd just be working in the office today finishing some reports so she'd opted for a more comfortable wardrobe.

She had been cracking eggs into a bowl when Matt joined her in the kitchen, dressed in his casual uniform of jeans and an old Rice University tee-shirt.

"I checked with the contractors," he said, "Drywalling on the new bedroom is almost finished."

She sighed.

"I wanted to go out there this weekend but I promised Elena I'd take her shopping with Chris and Butterfly."

"It will be good to see Elena again."

C.J. whisked up the eggs, frothing in the bowl.

"She's been doing great and she's really settling down into her new life."

Matt went to the refrigerator to get some orange juice then got two glasses from the cupboard.

"Besides, Dan and I got that car show on Sunday."

She smiled, remembering their fondness for them. So far Matt hadn't bought anything, surprising considering his fondness for fast cars but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"So you hear anything from Kostas?"

"Only that he'll be arriving in Houston this coming week," Matt said.

She nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm excited for you and Dan," she said, "This will be great for your firm."

She poured the eggs mixture on the skillet which hissed like a snake as the liquid bubbled.

"Yeah, one of our biggest clients yet."

She kept one eye on the cooking eggs and another on him.

"You really are happy with what you're doing?"

It hadn't been the first time she'd asked only because she knew he had loved running his investigative agency so much.

He nodded.

"Yeah…there's still enough field work and I missed Texas much more than I thought," he said, "it's great to be back and you know there's this beautiful woman there…"

She slapped him playfully on the arm.

"She thinks you're pretty fine yourself."

He smiled at her.

"I only wish I didn't have to travel as much as I do."

She sighed, stroking his arm.

"I wish I didn't either but we both love what we do and when we're together we make up for it," she said, "I think it will work itself out."

"I know because you're more important to me than anything else," he said, taking her in his arms, "and we've got the future to think about."

She kissed him then and wrapped her arms around him, thinking it didn't get any better than that. That the two of them had been building their lives together, the bonds of friendship and love growing stronger.

Then she heard something sizzle and pop. The two of them separated and turned to look at the stove.

"C.J…I think you'd better get your eggs off the skillet…"

"Yeah I think you're right," she agreed, then reached for the spatula.

She thought about it as she drove to work through the congested streets of downtown. Traffic inched forward at this time of day, which reminded her of when she had lived and worked in L.A.

No major appointments today, at least none expected but in her line of work that left plenty of room for the unexpected. Chris had already called and said that Murray had kept her busy at Houston Enterprises with an assortment of projects, clearly eager to fill the rest of her time before she went on her leave.

"He's driving me crazy with the Stevenson ranch account," Chris lamented, "I really think Murray needs another hobby besides flowers."

C.J. couldn't argue with that.

"He needs a girlfriend."

Chris agreed.

"He at least needs to get some…he's just been way too uptight lately."

"It wouldn't hurt…he's always been too much of a workaholic. He won't even use up his vacation time."

Chris didn't get that at all.

"Someone should lure him on one of Matt's jets, lock the doors and then fly him off to some tropical island and keep him there."

"That might work," C.J. said, "on the other hand, you'll have to make sure there's no computer or fax machine within miles."

Chris laughed.

"Good luck…well anyway; I'll see you and Elena later at the restaurant."

"See you then…"

C.J. turned off the main thoroughfare at last and onto a quieter side street, heading to her office inside an old fashioned style building that had once been a residence back in the day. She pulled her car into the small parking lot and got out to go inside the building.

After walking inside, she proceeded to her office, saying hi to Kyra a paralegal who was on the phone. She'd hired her after she completed her studies while working at the women's foundation and had put her to work immediately. Kyra had proven in a short time to be invaluable for her deductive skills and for working her butt off, often until late at night.

She put down her things in a chair next to her desk inside her office and after booting up her computer, she checked her voice mail.

Stefan kicked back in his hotel room hours after the last meeting of the conference in Oslo. He had faxed back some invoices on some new testing markets for the drug protocol and then had changed into his training clothes and had gone down to the exclusive gym.

He sparred with a punching bag for an hour and then hit the pool for a mile swim, with some freestyle intervals mixed in his workout. Even while traveling, Stefan maintained an active training schedule to keep his body supremely fit and to keep mentally sharp, necessary considering his lifestyle.

Afterward, he had showered and dressed, returning to his hotel to order room service for dinner.

Sasha had stopped by to discuss the successful meetings.

"I think they're buying into our plan," she said, while dining on steak and baked potato.

He put down his fork, and looked at her.

"I think it's too soon to jump to any conclusions," he said, "At least until we see how Copenhagen proceeds."

She nodded.

"Okay then I'll get the reports ready by the time we lift off tomorrow."

Stefan smiled.

"You're not coming with me to Copenhagen."

She didn't say anything but arched a brow. "

"I need you to fly to New York City and get ready there for when we head to Houston," he said.

"Where Clarissa will make her reappearance," she said, "Okay I can do that. But what about you?"

"I'll be there as planned," Stefan said, "and then we'll be ready to go."

Sasha shrugged.

"It's your plan, but those investigators haven't been looking this direction for months. The trail to us has gone cold."

He sighed.

"I can't take any chances," he said, "I'm not about to get wrapped up in Andre's mess."

"Helena took care of our loose connection," Sasha said, "There's no way to connect Andre back to us."

Stefan looked up sharply.

"We can't assume any such thing and we can't afford to be overconfident," he said, "It might be a year or more before we can resume control."

"Our competitors are already moving in to position," she countered, "if we sit on the sidelines too long, we might never get it back."

Stefan has thought about how the vacuum which had been left by Andre's death and the arrests of most of those around him who had survived the offensive on Sapphire Island and elsewhere. He had stepped away to avoid being caught up in the tidal wave of law enforcement activity which had swept the globe and had quietly slipped back into his identity as CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. Most of his enterprises went underground and those that couldn't had closed their shops and disposed of their inventory.

"We'll get it back, we just have to be patient," he said, "One wrong move, one impatient impulse and we could lose it all."

She pondered that and then nodded.

"Okay then when I finish up the reports," she said, "I'll head out to the States while you finish up here."

She started towards the doors.

"Sasha…"

She turned around to face him.

"Anything else you need?"

He nodded.

"I need you to succeed," he said, "your role in this operation is absolutely critical."

"I understand."

She walked to the door and opened it to leave the suite but saw a comely woman with long blonde hair dressed in a skintight dress waiting there.

"Who are you," she asked.

The woman smiled.

"I'm here to see Mr. Kostas," she said, "I'm his date."

Sasha just turned around and shot Stefan a quick look before leaving the room. He smiled and then turned towards the woman.

"My you're very pretty," he said, "What's your name?"

She twittered her eyelashes.

"You can call me Natalie…"

He nodded from where he sat.

"You can come here Natalie…and we can get started."

She licked her lips and headed towards him, and as she approached, his eyes caught the mark on a bare shoulder.

A very familiar tattoo…

After she pleasured him, there would be one less commodity of his to worry about, he mused as she walked towards him.

Matt looked at the schematic on his computer screen in front of him, the one that showed him the inside of the secured room at Stefan's estate. He had tried to dream up different ways to improve its security but for some reason, his eyes remained drawn to the cabinets. They had each been locked up individually presumably with some kind of device which required a code to unlock.

Any crook or covert operative from a rivaling company could plug up a decoding device to the cabinet and after about 20 minutes of trying out an infinite number of combinations would happen on the right one and be in business.

Perhaps if they upgraded the system in an attempt to thwart the use of that type of equipment and then found a secondary type of security, then whatever those cabinets held inside them might be better protected.

He needed to think this section over some more so he moved backward into the corridor which led to the safe room. Definitely some more possibilities there, he thought as he moved the mouse up to zoom up one portion of the schematic. They also had taken a slew of digital photographs of key vantage points which would help when researching a design.

Suddenly his phone rang.

"Hello this is Houston…"

"It's me…Jonathan."

Matt's brows rose because he certainly hadn't expected to hear from him.

"What's up?"

Jonathan sighed.

"The FBI's sending a team out to Greece and Italy."

"Why, what's going on there that the FBI's involved," Matt asked, leaning back in his chair.

"There've been some dead women that have been found, all young and in various states of decomposition."

"Serial killer…?"

"Maybe…it looks like it but it's strange…none of them were reported missing in any databases and no bullet wounds or wounds from say a knife…at least as far as we can tell."

Matt felt the hairs going up on the back of his neck, like an electric shock. This all seemed so familiar to him, not that it wasn't unfortunately common for women to be the victims in serial killings but this might be more than that.

"They didn't by chance have any markings did they like tattoos?"

A pause met him.

"As a matter of fact some of them did," Jonathan said, "We were going to use them as a means of identification until we saw the marks looked similar…"

Matt felt tightness in his throat.

"Were they of a chimera?"

Jonathan probably knew where he was going with this because Andre had been linked to the murders of dozens of women bearing his mark. Matt thought maybe some of the remains of other victims had been discovered.

But Jonathan's answer surprised him.

"No…actually they were of something else…a jaguar."

The coldness that penetrated Matt just then went all the way through him as he thought of the implications.

"Then he's come back…"


	9. Chapter 9

Matt digested what Jonathan had just told him, that the women who had been found dead had bore the mark of the Jaguar.

"We don't know that for sure Matt but it's possible."

Matt sighed.

"I'd say it's more than that," he said, "There's no sign of this guy until the bodies show up. The same as with Andre…"

"Maybe not…someone else could be praying on women that he owned and trafficked," Jonathan reasoned, "Women in that industry attract all kind of vermin including those with homicidal tendencies."

Matt didn't think that as likely as the murders tracing back to the Jaguar and he didn't want to make the same mistake as they all had when all those dead women had turned up bearing the chimera all those years. Maybe if they had put it the pieces in that puzzle together sooner, then they could have nabbed Andre before he kidnapped C.J.

That thought haunted him during the past several years that the nightmare that she had faced and barely survived might have been prevented if he and others had been paying more close attention to what happened around them. He didn't want to make that same mistake again especially since…

"If it's him that makes C.J. a target," Matt said.

Jonathan hesitated.

"Not necessarily but the FBI's working with Interpol on these cases and we'll get to the bottom of it," he said.

"If she's in any danger, the feds don't have the best track record with keeping her safe," Matt said, "I don't know if I can leave it up to you."

Jonathan's voice tightened.

"Matt, you can't do it," he said, "You can't take her and disappear again then we won't be able to keep her safe if he's out looking for her."

"When it comes to her life, I'm going to do what it takes to make sure he never has a chance to find her," he said, "I'm not going to leave her wide open like I did with Andre."

Jonathan groaned.

"Matt, you can't blame yourself for what happened to her," he said, "No one saw it coming not even her and she kept quiet about what had happened in Boston those years ago."

"So did you…"

Matt heard Jonathan sigh.

"I know and I regret doing nothing when Andre first surfaced but she was afraid of him and she never told Julia or me what had happened after he locked us up in the cellar."

The night that began when Scott who had been working for Andre's drug operation had double crossed him and which ended with C.J. offering herself to Andre to save her two friends. Only Andre's father, Marquis Duval, Sr. had gotten wind of what his illegitimate son was up and sent a team of his terrorists to whisk him away and burn all the evidence away including the three hostages.

"So what are you going to do about the Jaguar?"

Jonathan sighed again.

"Keep an eye out for him? Every trail that leads to determining his identity comes up cold."

Matt felt frustration fill him as it often had when C.J.'s life had been threatened and he couldn't protect her because Jonathan was right, no one knew the trafficker's real face. He could literally be any man in the world filled with faceless crowds, assuming he was a man at all.

"Not good enough and what are you going to tell C.J.?"

"What's there to tell her," Jonathan said, "Like I said, these women could have been killed by a number of people and maybe not the same killer."

"It's been great talking to you," Matt said, clicking off his phone.

Dan stood in the doorway of his office, looking at him.

"What's going on?"

Matt put his phone on the desk,

"The FBI and Interpol are investigating the deaths of young women who were found in a couple of countries in Europe. At least some of them had connections to the Jaguar."

Dan's eyes widened.

"Do they think this means he might have resurfaced?"

Matt shrugged.

"I don't think they really know anything at this point including what to do."

Dan sat down in a nearby chair.

"You're worried about C.J…"

"She had a connection to him too,'' Matt said, "This creep bought her from Andre before she escaped."

"You think he's trying to find her?"

Matt sighed.

"I don't know what he's doing…no one knows who this guy really is behind the alias but I'm not taking any chances with her safety."

"Does she know?"

Matt paused and shook his head. He had to be the one to tell her about it. He remembered all those times months ago and thousands of miles away when she had planned to run away, not just from the Jaguar but from him. She hadn't wanted to put his life in danger or to have him spend his life with a woman always looking over her shoulder. He had talked her out of doing that but he didn't know for sure what she'd do if she found out about those dead women bearing the same tattoo.

What if he went home and she had left, or woke up one morning and found her gone?

"I've got to tell her before someone else does or she sees it on the news."

Dan sighed.

"We're almost done with the last round of specs on the Kostas account except for the safe room."

Matt looked back at his screen.

"Yeah…if we could just enhance the system he has in place there," he said, "That might be enough."

Matt saved the file then shut down his computer before getting ready to leave the office.

* * *

><p>C.J. sat at her own desk, looking at the computer screen at a report she had just completed on a case she had been working on for the past several hours. Kyra had been doing some research before heading to lunch.<p>

She had been surfing on the internet in her computer when she came across a news brief about a suicide that took place in Oslo. The victim had been a young woman but no name had been released yet, who apparently fell or jumped out of a 10 story window of a hotel and had landed on the hood of a car below with a broken neck. Police hadn't determined yet if she had been a guest at the posh establishment.

C.J. sighed, clicking the screen off. She had enjoyed Oslo when she had flown with Matt there once on a business trip but she supposed that even that Norwegian city had its share of hard luck cases.

Her phone rang and she saw that it was Matt.

"Hi, what's up?"

He didn't respond right away.

"What's going on Houston?"

"I need to talk to you," he said, "Are you going to be at your office in the next hour?"

She sighed, wondering what it was about because she'd heard the tone in his voice, one she didn't like.

"I was going to go pick up a bite to eat but it can wait…if it's important."

"No…why don't I meet you…where would you like to go?"

She chuckled.

"Well, I'd love to Paris or Rome and try some favorite spots there but I think we have to stick close to home."

"Well, there's that Italian spot close to where you work," he said, "Romero's.

"That's work, but this isn't a social lunch I can tell, what is it?"

He paused again.

"I'll tell you when I see you."

They said goodbye and she clicked off her phone, looking at it wondering what had been going on.

* * *

><p>They met at Romero's and they followed the waiter to a corner booth. The place had begun to fill up with its lunchtime traffic and they both ordered some wine while they looked at their menus.<p>

But C.J. kept hers straight in front of her and just looked at him.

"Don't you want to look to see what you want to order?"

She tilted her face.

"I know what I'm ordering. Now tell me what's going on here."

He looked at her and knew he couldn't delay telling her the news.

"Jonathan called me from D.C. He said the FBI sent out a team of agents to work with Interpol and other agencies involving some women who showed up dead in Italy and Greece."

Her eyes changed and he knew it didn't take her long enough to figure out what he was really saying.

"Oh my god…are they?"

He shook his head.

"They aren't Andre's victims," he said, "Some of them do have tattoos…probably the ones who haven't…decomposed but Jonathan said they're marked with a jaguar."

She put her hand to her mouth.

"You mean he's returned haven't you?"

Matt traced the rim of his wine glass with a finger.

"Maybe…Jonathan said they haven't thought that far along yet."

She ran her hand through her hair, trying to rein in that familiar fear that hit her when the name of the other trafficker came up. In the past several years, she hadn't forgotten about him…even though he still had no face to her.

But unlike the man with a face, Andre, the Jaguar was still alive and out there somewhere. Every trail the authorities thought would lead to him had gone cold. She knew that was by his design.

Andre had told her so many things, many of which she didn't trust but he had respected his business partner even though he hadn't trusted him.

"Jonathan's a little behind the curve then."

The waitress came and took their orders and their menus which gave Matt a couple of minutes to think of what to say next because he had a feeling if he said the wrong thing…

"He's just waiting until the medical examiner comes up with reports on all of them."

She sipped her wine.

"There are more of them out there Houston….and if they're wearing his mark…they belong to him."

Matt nodded and she continued.

"And if they're turning up dead, then is he killing them or someone else?"

Matt didn't know the answer to that but he suspected that the Jaguar might be eliminating his merchandise as these women were called when they weren't referred to as sex slaves. He told her his theory.

"I wore his mark…when Andre sold me to him."

She wore that expression on his face that made him realize she was thinking back towards those difficult times after Andre's death when she had worried about the Jaguar still being out there, avoiding detection but waiting to make his move, to once again resurface. And she feared that he might come after her, because after all, he had paid money to procure her, she hadn't known how much but she knew that he probably hadn't enjoyed throwing his money away.

But as time had passed, many months including those spent with Matt building their new life and their relationship, she had hoped that maybe he had just disappeared and wouldn't reemerge in their lives.

That he wouldn't destroy the lives of other women. Too much to wish for, she realized now, because she did believe that the Jaguar had killed his own slaves and she tried to think of why he would take such a drastic and potentially risky step.

Oh he had killed before, she was certain of that but now he was a fugitive with a multi-agency, multi-national dragnet searching for him.

Unless the lives of these women, the very fact that they still existed has proven to be more dangerous to him than him murdering them.

She barely touched her food when it arrived and he watched her as he dipped his fork into his pasta.

"C.J. it's going to be okay…we're going to get through this," Matt said, "You know I'd never let him close enough to you to hurt you."

She sprinkled oregano on her food.

"He's already done that I know…I don't remember him at all but I…whenever I think of him…whenever I looked at his mark…I just felt such terror…and shame…"

He watched her struggle with her emotions, as she sometimes still did even a couple years later. She had come so far and worked so hard, since those early days but he knew that a part of her lived in fear of the man without a face.

"They'll find him," Matt said, "If he's doing these killings, he'll make himself more visible and that will make him vulnerable."

She sighed.

"You hope…god…there has to be something, some reason he can hide so easily," she said, "I know Andre hid behind his importing business and his charity foundations so how does this guy do it?"

"Maybe the same way…through his professional front that he's built for himself to slip in and out of so he can do his real line of work undetected."

She knew he might be right, but she had no idea what he looked like, or his real name, or where he lived right now. He could be across the room, the city or around the world and how would they know?

He felt that desperation, that disorientation that shook her now, the questions she asked about the man whose brand she had worn just like those dead women.

"C.J…"

She blinked her eyes and looked at him and suddenly her face changed. She picked up her fork again and started eating.

"What's going on here?"

She looked at him steely.

"I can't let my life be ruled by this anymore Houston," she said, "I've got my career and this is where I live and there's us and…"

He broached the subject carefully.

"You know if you want to take off for a little way."

Her eyes flashed angrily.

"I'm not leaving and I'm not running away," she said, "Besides, there's no way to know how those women died or who killed them. Even if it's him, it doesn't mean he's coming after me."

He listened to her rationale, her voice calm and resolved, but also detached. She held her body rigid as she sat there eating across from him. She hadn't run away from him, he saw at least not with her body but as he looked into her eyes just then, she looked a million miles away from him.


	10. Chapter 10

"I don't know what he even looks like," C.J. said, "Like I said, he could right up to me, introduce himself, shake my hand across a table, or at a party and I wouldn't know Houston."

Matt heard the apprehension in her voice that often arose when she talked about the man who had owned her, because the man who had taken her had deemed her property to sell to his trafficking partner to settle a debt.

"What about Elena?"

He looked up at her.

"She's coming in tonight isn't she?"

She nodded.

"I thought we'd have dinner on the patio tonight," she said, "She's renting a car and driving herself to the house."

"I'm sure she'll be fine…she's got family looking out for her where she's living."

C.J. stuck her fork in the remnants of her meal.

"But she was his first choice and Andre said no and so I got sold instead and if he's out there..."

Matt felt his throat tighten when she talked about being treated as someone else's commodity, to be bought or sold and not have any will about it.

"Nothing's going to happen to her," he said, "She knows how to be careful like us."

"I know that but if none of us see him coming, how's that going to help?"

Matt didn't have any easy answers to that question for her. They had lived with the reality that one key player in their ordeal had slipped detection by the dragnet mostly because he hadn't attended that final party held by Andre. He'd sent one of his enforcers and he'd been killed in the raid of the compound in self defense by that marshal, Sally.

Not much information had been gleaned from his corpse which of course had remained unclaimed.

"We're going to do the best we can like we always do," he said, "I just want to know that you're not going to run."

She looked at him then, stark emotion on her face and he knew that she hadn't forgotten her resolve to protect him from the Jaguar, should he ever looking for her. But Matt had told her that she had to be honest with him because they'd be stronger together and because he didn't want to lose her.

It had taken a while for his words to sink inside her because the last thing she ever wanted in her life was for him to suffer because of her, and because of what one faceless man could take from her. Some nights she held onto him so tightly because she feared the night, that a shadow might emerge that would finally reveal him. But it'd been so quiet since then and they'd been so focused on preparing for the day when they'd testify in court about what the traffickers had done to her, and how he'd been shot and left to bleed to death by Andre for trying to help her set herself free.

"Houston I told you…but I don't want him to hurt you or worse to get to me."

She didn't tell him that she had packed a small bag filled with necessities and hidden it in the back of one of the closets to keep handy just in case she had to leave…to draw the enemy away from the ones she loved including him and to stay at least one step ahead of him. She loved him more than anything…she didn't want to leave him but if anything happened to him because of her, she'd never get over it. Being together mattered so much but his life mattered more and if it came to him losing it, she'd leave him first without a trail for him to follow.

He read her face and she wondered if she left a trace of her thoughts to betray her. Being an investigator for years, he had become a pro at reading facial expressions and body language to get at what people really meant...beyond what they said. And he knew her especially well from their lifelong friendship even before they became lovers.

"Then you let me help you okay," he said, "Don't try to deal with this by yourself."

She heard how much he meant his words and she bit her lip to keep her face straight.

"I don't even know what I'm dealing with…I don't know him, I don't know if I ever did…maybe it's part of those gaps in my memory from that time."

She had struggled so hard to regain those memories even therapy hadn't helped…maybe they hadn't been emotionally erased but she couldn't access them unless the cause had been physical. After all, there were times she had remembered feeling drugged.

"Then we'll pay close attention to what's going on here and we'll figure it out," he said, "And we'll get through this, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

She nodded because she knew it mattered that she did that because maybe he'd always carry around a little guilt for not being there when she'd been abducted. It hadn't been his fault what happened and she didn't think he could have stopped a man like Andre even if he hadn't left town. After all Andre had stalked her from the shadows since she'd been back at Harvard, and she hadn't even known it…not until it was too late.

And now another man might be out there now doing the same and she had no idea where to look for him.

* * *

><p>Sasha's plane landed in Houston after a stop in New York City where she made some contacts, and changed her appearance enough so she'd look like the woman that Matt had met and slept with in that German town. It hadn't been a love match between them, more two strangers passing through, enjoying a passionate interlude. She wondered how he'd act when she showed up as Stefan planned. As much as she had enjoyed Matt's company back then, she'd carry out that game plane without flinching.<p>

She had honed her skills over the years she'd worked her way up through Stefan's organization beginning at the bottom, when she'd been picked up by him at auction herself. But lucky for her, he'd seen something in her that had saved her life or at least spared her a lot of misery. Still, a lot of what had happened in her upward movement had been up to her and she'd made the most of it.

She'd even killed to get to the next level and she'd do so again, her technique just becoming more refined over time.

After getting off the plane, she went to rent a car and head to the best hotel in the middle of the city, where Stefan had arranged adjoining suites for them on the penthouse floor.

She'd never been to Houston before and thought it might be the perfect place for what they had to do but after the job was done, she'd dust off her feet and head back to Europe fitting seamlessly into the background.

The valet parked her car and she took her luggage inside to check in before heading up to the suite to begin working.

* * *

><p>Elena dropped her things in the living room after parking her rental car. She had finished her last midterm and had jumped on a flight out of Denver still dressed in her favorite pair of jeans and a knit turtleneck. She wore her dark wavy hair long in a loose pony tail and a dark beret on her head, accentuating her look with hoop earrings.<p>

She headed to the kitchen where she knew they'd be and sure enough C.J. had been slicing up some vegetables while Matt had gone to check on the steaks in the barbecue. C.J. smiled up at her.

"Great you made it…how was your flight?"

Elena shrugged.

"It took off late but I made up for lost time on the freeway."

The two women hugged tightly and Elena asked what she could do to help. C.J. had her make a salad while she checked again on the potatoes.

"What time's your interview tomorrow with Derek?"

Elena made a face.

"He sounds so intense on the phone…I hope he's mellower in person."

C.J. smiled not much chance of that but she knew the young woman in front of her could more than hold her own with him. Elena had lived through an awful lot in her life and had survived it, even thrived in her new life in this country. After she turned in her testimony, she'd be given a path to citizenship.

"You'll do fine with him though it does take some getting used to…he's supposed to be the one who takes it to trial."

Elena sliced some tomatoes.

"When will that be…I'm beginning to think it will never happen."

C.J. had the same thought at times but she kept believing that no matter what, the day when she'd testify would come. The feds had invested way too much time, man power and money in this case to just toss it. The line of defense attorneys had filed enough paperwork to fill a library with books but the judge had issued rulings that made it clear this case wasn't falling off the radar.

"So what does he ask," Elena said, "Anything different than the others?"

C.J. sighed as she took the potatoes off of the stove and put them in a serving dish.

"The same questions…in different ways," she said, "I've already tangled with him on his style."

Elena nodded thoughtfully.

"It must be very hard for you," she said, "I wasn't raped like you."

C.J. saw the sadness in Elena's eyes because she had her own demons to cope with having worked alongside Andre and having believed him when he said that he had some sort of relationship with C.J. that sounded far less ugly than reality.

"But he was your brother and that has to be difficult," C.J. said, "I think despite his cruelty towards me and other women, I think he cared about you very much…he did save you more than once."

Elena knew about those times although she barely remembered having been sold by her parents to a middleman who put her up for auction. The Jaguar had bid highly on her but Andre had outbid him to take his sister into his home where she had worked as a domestic until he trained her to be his administrative assistant.

"I know that but what he did to you…I could never forgive him for that…I don't hate him but I don't know how I can love him either."

C.J. put the vegetable medley next to the potatoes.

"You can love parts of him, his kindness and protectiveness towards you," she said, "and the years you've spent together and know that he only allowed you to see those parts of him, you had no way of knowing what he was really doing."

Elena sighed, her face clouding a bit.

"I know but I wish I did…"

"You helped me escape," C.J. said, "and by doing that you had to make some really difficult choices, risky too."

Elena had made it possible for her to escape in more ways than one and had tried to save her when Andre had locked her up in the bedroom with him…to try to enslave her once again.

And she had watched both of her brothers die at each other's hands, with only her left to bury them both in different lands.

Matt walked in and told them that the steaks were ready and Elena and C.J. went out to the table that had been set for the three of them, with the food and some of sweetened iced tea.

"So we're going shopping right," Elena asked, "I need to see if I can find some riding boots when I head down to visit Thea."

She'd been there some times when she could get away from the weekend because it wasn't too much of a drive. C.J. and Matt suspected that one of the reasons she spent time there had to do with a young rancher named Reade who had been so helpful to the two of them when they were trying to escape Andre's hired hit men. His younger brother, Carter had been an object of a crush by Butterfly earlier that summer.

"There's a great place for them near where Houston works," she said, "We'll go there tomorrow."

Elena smiled while eating her steak.

"Cool…Reade said he'd take me to the mountain where that stallion lives."

C.J. and Matt looked at each other, smiling as they remembered him.

"He's quite a sight," he said, "We were lucky to be graced by it…very lucky."

The three of them talked at dinner about experiences they shared that were enjoyable putting anything that hadn't been at bay. Happy to spend some time together, before the storm.


	11. Chapter 11

C.J. and Elena hit the mall on Saturday afternoon with Chris and Butterfly. The inside shopping center hadn't yet filled up with people which would happen when the day heated up. Summer was on its way out but the weather had yet to catch up.

The weather forecast had indicated that it would be hot and steamy until perhaps a thunderstorm blew in before the sun set to cool the area before the stars came out. Such was the climate this time of year and it hadn't taken C.J. long to remember how to adapt to it.

"I'm going to check out the computer store," Butterfly said, "to see if that new film editing software came in yet."

Chris nodded.

"Okay…I got to check out baby stuff," she said, "Anyone want to go with me?"

Butterfly just made a face.

"No thanks…I'm not having any babies."

Chris smiled.

"That's good to know…you've got plenty of time to think about it."

Butterfly shrugged, whipped her hair back and took off to the computer store.

"What about you Elena," Chris asked, "Oh yeah…around the corner from the escalator is a great place for riding boots."

Elena looked at C.J.

"Go ahead…we'll meet you at the food court for some lunch okay?"

She smiled and took off. C.J. and Chris walked to the Mother & Me Store.

"She's looking really great," Chris said, "She's changed a lot in the past year."

"I think the time she spends with her family's really helped her," C.J. said, "She's already caught up in her schooling and made friends."

"She met with the prosecutors?"

C.J. nodded.

"This morning…she did fine with it…Derek hit her hard with some questions about her relationships with her brothers."

"Wow…that must be difficult for her."

"Yeah, but Elena's resilient, she's had to be and I'm hoping that when she puts this behind her, she can look forward to a full life…and a new start."

"She's sure earned it…but what about you…what about your life?"

C.J. paused as they reached the boutique and walked inside it. The store was filled wall to wall with all things for babies and toddlers. From furniture to strollers, to toys and clothing, everything was there. Chris had put off working on the nursery because she had to do some light carpentry on it and then paint it. But she had ordered some furniture and that left her the items to fill it with including clothing.

"There's so much stuff here, I don't know where to start."

C.J. had already walked to check out the infant clothing including a cowboy romper.

"So what about you," Chris asked, "You thinking about kids…you and Houston?"

C.J. nodded.

"Yeah…someday not for quite a while…we just have so much ahead of us first…the trial and just working on things in our lives."

"Everything's going okay isn't it?"

"Yeah…we just need to work out our schedules so we can see each other more…we both travel…at different times and I love what I do but I miss him."

"You'll work it out. It takes time…I know it did with me and Dan."

"Neither of us are leaving for at least a month," C.J. said, "That will give us some time together."

"Dan's been busy too with that big client he and Matt have…Stefan Kostas, some big shot in the pharmaceutical industry."

"Houston told me how impressive his estate was that they tested overseas," C.J. said, "Lots of original artworks and his own menagerie."

Chris looked through a rack of infant suits.

"I read somewhere he's a very private man," she said, "keeps his family life private. I can't wait to meet him at the party."

"Yeah me neither," C.J. said, "It should be very interesting."

* * *

><p>Stefan sliced up his steak on his plate after the waiter poured more wine. He had been on the phone for a conference call back in London after finishing his seminar up in the heart of Copenhagen.<p>

He'd returned to the stylish hotel and had hit the spa where he'd swam laps in the pool before dropping into the ice pool, which made his body almost immediately tingle almost painfully. He'd stay in there, testing his resolve as the skin on his body numbed, and then the familiar feeling of warmth filled him. That warned him to be carefully lest he slip into the seductive embrace of hypothermia.

Then he'd spend some time in the sauna before rinsing off and heading back to his suite to change for dinner. The regimen which he had followed during his traveling kept both his body and mind, strong and supple. In his line of work, a man could never lose his edge; never turn his back for one moment.

He had made the obligatory call to his wife who was touring Italy with the children looking at vineyards, as he had promised to buy her one. She didn't ask when she'd see him again or when he'd return as they talked.

His appetite had been hearty and so he had ordered several entrees in the dining room. Sasha hadn't called him yet with her report since she had arrived at the hotel the previous day. But he knew that she had already begun to set their game plan in motion on her end.

After the seminar ended, he'd be heading for the States. A couple of stops in New York City and Chicago to talk with potential investors in the drug protocol and in between them, he'd be testifying in front of a Congressional Subcommittee on it. Then he thought if that ended early, he'd walk across the hall and sit in on another subcommittee meeting addressing changes in laws to impact human trafficking.

Sitting in there with some of the foremost experts including some of the same ones looking for a faceless foe called the Jaguar who had vanished like a phantom. He'd learned in his life that the best strategy for someone like him was essentially to hide in plain sight.

He had no intention of ending up like Andre who had been about to be shut down by the global dragnet even if his security head hadn't killed him. Nor like Lucian who was hiding as a fugitive somewhere between Thailand or the Philippines.

Stefan chewed his steak thoughtfully as he thought about never returning to the world of human trafficking. He had made over a billion dollars from his years he had put into it, and it was socked around the world in different bank accounts and investment portfolios.

If he lay low and kept his public profile going, the authorities weren't likely to find him and he had enough money to throw about to keep them from even getting close. Everyone who had been hunting him expected him to reemerge like the phoenix and take advantage of the vacuum of power in the global industry but he had done the opposite, he had walked away from it.

But did that mean forever? He didn't know the answer to that question yet. He wouldn't until the heat died down, hopefully after the upcoming trial. If they could hang up a few of the players as examples of their zero tolerance on trafficking, then they might go back to their usual inattention the next day. If he bode his time, he could slide back into position with no one ever the wiser.

Either path he chose, he had to be very careful right now and that meant eliminating any means that the authorities or anyone else had of tying him to the identity he had walked away from nearly years ago. No doubt, Interpol had caught some of his activity in its radar but before it could put it all together, he'd be done.

When he finished his dinner, he thought about ordering dessert. But while he looked at his menu, a redheaded woman in a silk dress walked up to him. She had caught his eye at one of the seminars, but then the meeting had dispersed.

"Hi…fancy meeting you here…"

He looked up at her.

"And you're…you're beautiful but your name…"

"Cynthia…I work for a company in London…"

"Ah yes…I remember…have you had dinner?"

She nodded.

"I was thinking of some dessert actually," she said, "What do you recommend?"

He smiled at her.

"Why don't we discuss that in my suite…."

* * *

><p>Matt and Dan had spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the car show. Not that they'd ever bought anything so far but they enjoyed checking out the latest models including some luxurious vehicles. They went to the dining room to pick up some lunch.<p>

"How'd you like to test that Corvette?"

Matt smiled.

"I used to own about six of them, back when Slim took care of my fleet."

"But the silver one looks like it could corner much better than the older ones."

Matt could definitely think of different ways a car like that might come in handy but he still stuck to looking at the displays. They went to stand in line for some barbecue and Matt looked around the room. His eyes widened as he saw a familiar looking woman, tall and blonde, wearing a blue dress, with a gold belt. A little dressy for a car show but that's not what caught his attention.

He remembered suddenly where he'd seen her a couple years ago when he'd been traveling around the world, taking a break from his life and responsibilities after his busted engagement with Elizabeth.

She had headed to stand behind them in line but when she reached him, her eyes sparkled and she smiled.

"Hey, aren't you….oh my god, it really is you…"

Dan looked at the two of them, arching his brow at Matt.

"Clarissa…what a surprise…what are you doing in Texas?"

She looked nearly the same as she had when he'd seen her last in that German town where their paths had crossed. Her hair had been styled differently back then and she looked thinner than he remembered.

"Matt, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Matt blinked.

"Oh yeah…Clarissa, this is my business partner and friend Dan and Dan, this is Clarissa."

Dan shook hands with her.

"Where did you meet this pretty lady anyway?"

Clarissa chuckled.

"Let's say we collided in some town in Germany during Oktoberfest and spent a few days together."

"So you two… you went out together?"

Clarissa looked at Matt and nodded.

"Yes, then I had to leave to fly back to London…where I worked at the time," she said, "and never saw him again."

Dan nodded.

"He's been really busy the past couple of years."

"So I heard…or read too…something about breaking up a slavery ring?"

Matt shrugged.

"Well the military and enforcement folks did that…I didn't do all that much."

She shot him a look.

"Somehow I have trouble believing that."

Dan chuckled.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?"'

She looked at her watch.

"Sorry I can't…I have a prior engagement…but it's been great running into you," she said, "Maybe we can get together some other time and catch up."

Matt looked at her.

"I'm in a relationship now…"

She smiled.

"That's fine…I'm engaged to be married…we can just talk."

Matt looked at her as she handed him a slip of paper with her cell phone number on it before she walked away.

"Man, she's pretty hot looking…you and she…fess up bud."

Matt shot him a look.

"We have some fun together...but that was then and I'm where I want to be now. Still it's interesting running into her."

* * *

><p>C.J. had been looking through the baby clothing one minute, flashing to an image that lived in her mind of a little girl with curly dark hair and sparkling eyes that had frequently shown up when she had been in crisis. She had no idea why the girl had only shown her face during those times, the last being when Nick had been trying to squeeze the life out of her back in Colorado.<p>

She had first seen her in her dreams, or what she had believed to be dreams way back when she and Matt had first arrived in L.A. and she had been helping him set up his business while studying for her bar exams. But while taking the exams, her appendix had flared up right before a huge power outage had seized the city and Matt had spent most of the rest of the day and night trying to get her to a hospital in time to save her.

That day she had first met Mama Novelli who had been instrumental in sheltering her on what had been St. Patrick's Day and had become an important part of their lives as had her son Vince.

But she'd wondered about the little girl, whose eyes looked so familiar. Chris had gone to pay for some clothing items, relieved that she had made a bigger dent in her preparation for her upcoming baby. She had been so excited and no one deserved that more than her and Dan after everything they'd been through to get to this point.

C.J. wondered if she and Matt would ever be at that point where they'd be ready to start a family. But then that was probably at least a few days away because she felt that even marriage had to be in the distance. She just had trouble thinking too far in the future …Matt had wanted to talk about it but she just hedged as if she would jinx herself. She knew it was crazy but she just had this feeling that she couldn't shake that somewhere, out there, a faceless man was looking for her.

Someone she didn't even remember or recognize even if he stood right in front of her.


	12. Chapter 12

The rain had started to fall in between cracks of thunder by the time C.J. and Elena had returned back to the house. Elena had her new riding boots and some other clothes she planned to wear at the ranch.

They were making dinner in the kitchen after Matt had called C.J. and told her he'd be home in about an hour. She asked him good naturedly if he'd bought anything at the car show and he said no, though he'd had his eye on a corvette or two.

Elena sliced up vegetables for chicken fajitas, deep in thought. C.J. knew it had partly to do with her interview earlier that morning with the federal prosecutors. She could definitely relate to feeling disjointed after one of those meetings especially with the likes of Derek.

"So is this it goes," Elena asked, "the questions are so personal?"

C.J. nodded.

"As difficult as it is, they need the answers Elena but I know for you, it's very different because they were your brothers."

Elena looked down at the bell pepper in her hand.

"They were both criminals though at least Antonio tried to do the right thing," she said, "but I know they both cared for me in their own ways and tried to protect me."

C.J. knew she spoke a painful truth and that it left her quite conflicted. That and the fact that one of her brothers had killed the other one who had then left him mortally wounded.

"It's all right, it's okay to miss them," she said.

"Part of me does…but with Andre…it's harder…because I want to hate him for what he did to you and others…but he's the only family I ever knew."

C.J. knew that she struggled with that issue the most of all. How to love and hate the same individual, and she also knew that Elena still dealt with the fact that her parents had sold her away when she'd been a little girl. But she had found some extended family that took care of her now and that had helped her come to terms with the rest of it.

"I know it's hard but you've done very well with it."

Elena sighed, placing the sliced peppers in a dish and starting in on some onions.

"How do you handle all that questioning," she said, "It must be harder for you after all you went through with Andre."

C.J. paused on that one, because the answer was both simple and very complicated.

"I just do the best I can with it. I know that it's not personal, that they're after the men who did this and they need my help. Though sometimes it does bring it all back and I have to deal with that."

Elena took a deep breath.

"Well they did ask me a lot of questions about anyone I ever had conversations with including on the phone…because I worked for Andre. They seem really interested in this Jaguar person."

"They're still looking for him," C.J. said, "but they don't know his real name which doesn't leave them much to go on."

"I can't remember anyone like that," Elena said, "so that's what I told them."

C.J. remembered even less…when she thought of him, she drew a complete blank. But she couldn't think of why he could drag himself out of the woodwork now. Clearly he had been lying low the past few years until the dragnet lessened the heat it had put on the trafficking underworld.

Neither she nor Matt had heard or seen any sign of him so they just focused on what had been in front of them, the prosecution of the survivors of Andre's operation. But sometimes when the world had gone quiet her mind would wander towards wondering what had happened to him and whether or not he had really gone underground for good.

* * *

><p>Dan and Matt headed to their cars after heading back to the office to check for messages. Stefan had left one saying that he'd be in Houston in about a few days. Dan had called the caterers to make sure they had finalized the menu for their soiree they were throwing for one of their biggest clients.<p>

"Interesting you running into an ex like that," Dan asked.

The two men were heading to their garages to head on home.

"She wasn't really an ex-girlfriend," Matt said, "We weren't together that long. Only while we were both staying in Germany."

"Where you met Stefan right?"

Matt nodded.

That whole interlude with both of them had seemed like it was another lifetime ago. After all that had been when he'd been at war with himself over how he had been living his life, in the wake of his broken engagement. He had cut off all communications with his friends and family back home and had practically dropped off the planet not knowing…about what had been happening to C.J.

"Yeah, we wound up at the same Halloween party…the three of us. Some excitement but not all that memorable."

Dan smiled.

"Does C.J. know about her?"

Matt arched a brow ,irritated.

"Does Chris know about all your girlfriends before her?"

"You've got a point, but she's back in town and what if she's interested in picking up where you two left off?"

Matt sighed.

"We left it back in Germany…I certainly did and she mentioned she was engaged though I didn't see her wearing a ring."

Dan laughed.

"Ah yes, the eye for detail that lies within every great investigator and even a former player."

Matt shot him a look.

"It's the investigator…see you later."

Dan said goodbye and they both headed to their cars, with Matt driving out of the garage into the rain, another typical late afternoon in the summer.

He had been surprised to see her again, but beyond that there really wasn't that much to say. Sure, they had been hot and heavy back in that German time back when he had been at loose ends. He wasn't that same guy any longer, the last two years had taught him that. Truth be told, his fling with her had been his last on that sabbatical because he had begun to realize that he didn't want just any woman, he wanted the one who had been his best friend most of his life.

Now they were together after everything that they'd gone through and he knew he was where he wanted to be.

The rain spattered on his windshield, as he drove down the main thoroughfare in pretty light traffic, thinking about the specs for Stefan's security system when his phone rang. He clicked it open.

"Hi Brody…what's up?"

"I just wrapped up that Myer case with your uncle," he said, "Thought you might want to know we recovered the entire stash of stolen jewelry. Hoyt's not really happy we barged his operation but we found it."

"Is he going to give me a call about it?"

"Nah…we went out for drinks afterward," Brody said, "but Roy wants to fax the jewelry invoices along with the final report to you in the morning."

"I won't be at the office but I can pick it up on Monday…"

"So how is that new client of yours," Brody asked, "Stefan Kostas is one high roller."

"He's paying us to design his system and he's flying out for a meeting," Matt said, "There's going to be a party if you want to fly out and drop in…you and Uncle Roy are invited."

"Maybe I'll think about it," Brody said, "if your caseload ever lightens up here."

"You sure you're ready to take over the firm?"

"Of course…you sure you really want to do it?"

Matt had given it a lot of thought realizing his life had moved on to Houston.

"Yeah I am…I'm going to fly out there a time or two to finalize the transfer," he said, "I'll see you then if you're not at the party."

"Okay…nice talking to you."

Matt clicked off the phone and he felt that pang that he'd be closing a chapter on an important part of his life but he'd made his decision. C.J. and he had built new lives for them here and there was no looking back.

* * *

><p>Clarissa made it back to her suite and ordered some lobster and wine, dining on the balcony. She had to admit that she liked being in the U.S., so much to see and do that it might distract her from her assignment.<p>

Matt had been just the way that she had remembered, back in Germany. It had been a welcome diversion to have a fling with him, even as she and Stefan had their own plans. He'd given her a cover story for Matt when she first encountered him which had hardly been by accident after all. She knew much more about him than she had that week several years ago.

The phone rang and she picked it up.

"Sasha did you do as I instructed?"

"Yes I did, I just got back and I'm ordering dinner."

"Did he suspect anything?"

She sighed.

"What's there to suspect…of course not, I'm good at what I do Stefan."

He chuckled.

"You do a couple of different things and yes, you're better at some of them than others."

Sasha glowered at his attitude but she had no choice but to go along with him. No one crossed Stefan after all.

"What about you," she said, "You hired Matt and his partner to handle your security…where you've hidden a lot of records, what if he had found them?"

"He didn't…I got there in time."

She sighed.

"He's a clever man…a pro investigator with military training," she said, "You'd better be careful not to underestimate him."

"He's not the one I'm after Sasha…he's just in my way."

She heard room service knock at the door and told them to leave the food there and she'd get it. You could never be too careful after all.

"You're going to have to kill him to get to her," Sasha said, "You know you should have just let it go…it's doubtful she'll ever remember who you are and what you did to her."

"I can't leave that to chance," Stefan said, "I made that mistake with Andre."

She walked to the door and while holding the phone, she carefully checked it before opening it up slowly…in front of her was a dining cart with her food on it. She took it and moved it inside.

"Stefan…I've got my part all under control," she said, "But what about you…I heard about that suicide in Oslo who just happened to have fallen out of the same floor as your suite at that hotel."

"Sasha…that doesn't concern you…stick to what I told you to carry out."

She just sighed in frustration at that because she knew what happened to the woman who had gone to Stefan's hotel…one of his own whores which was why she now lay broken and dead in some morgue.

There had been others just like her as well, all dead. If he weren't careful…but then no one ever told him what to do. And those women hadn't been smart like her, or they'd still be alive.

"When are you arriviing?"

He sighed.

"In several days…we're invited to a party being held by the firm."

"I'm not invited…remember I'm Clarissa in this plan of yours."

He paused.

"Well the script's been changed…as I'll explain when I arrive to Houston."

He hung up not long after that and she just shook her head, wondering how she had ever gotten tangled up with such a charming man. But then she didn't want to think too hard about that, or travel too far back in her own past when she had been just like those women who had turned up dead washed up on the shores of two countries bordering the same sea.

She took the plate off the lobster and smiled at it, thinking it looked just perfect. The succulent odors wafted up to her nose and she realized she really had been quite hungry.

Time to eat and then time to relax, to leave the logistics alone for a while. It was Stefan's master plan after all, she was but a player.

* * *

><p>Matt and C.J sat on the porch outside sheltered from the warm rain as it fell around them, the scents of the flowery bushes intermingling with the ozone of the charged air.<p>

He had his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder .Elena had retreated to her room emailing friends in Denver.

"It's good to see her..I just wish she didn't have to deal with Derek's questions."

Matt rubbed her back.

"He's just doing his job."

"I know that. She's a tough woman but she's still fragile when it comes to Andre."

"He was the person who pretty much raised her," Matt said, "She's bound to have mixed feelings about the truth about him."

"Yeah, I know that and her other brother, she never really got to know him."

Matt kissed the top of her head.

"At least she had a chance to see him after all those years," he said, "even if it only for a little while."

C.J. knew that Matt had a point. Elena had gone through most of her life not knowing about Antonio let alone that he had crossed the world trying to find her. To save her from the same fate that had struck another sister, Sierra who had died while trying to escape from Andre.

The phone rang and it turned out to be C.J.'s. She saw it was Jonathan and looked at Matt before answering it.

"What's going on?"

He paused.

"Interpol came up with something in its investigated and forwarded it to us," he said, "We're not sure but we think it's from him."

"Who?"

"The Jaguar."


	13. Chapter 13

C.J. had trouble getting to sleep when she went to bed that night. Jonathan had called and given them the news that the Jaguar had been tied to the deaths of the women who had been discovered washed up from the Mediterranean Sea. Most of the bodies that had been in reasonably good shape had bore the mark that had been given to his slaves in the trafficking ring.

She knew the tattoo well because she had been branded to it not long after he had bought her from Andre. The one that had almost killed her, when the infection that started there nearly went septic. Just watching the coverage of the murders of these women and getting the file pictures from Jonathan who had faxed a couple of them over in hopes that she might remember something helpful…had left her ragged. Some of the rawness of what she had lived through still remained, and she was reminded of that through moments like these where other tragedies emerged.

The women hadn't been identified yet and some would only be through DNA analysis and perhaps dental records. They had been out to sea longer before being given up on the shore. She had known that some familiar killer had to be responsible because Andre had done the same thing with dozens of women who he encountered and later killed because of who they resembled with their dark wavy hair. It had taken C.J. a long time to learn the identity of the woman he kept killing over and over, his reason for being obsessed with her for nearly a decade.

But the Jaguar killed for other reasons than obsession because none of the women looked much alike, they just all crossed paths with him likely through his sex trade. He was killing his slaves off and they didn't know why.

Because they didn't know who hid behind the Jaguar, who he was in the real world. The authorities had followed several trails which turned out to be dead ends or false, and each time they had gotten close…she thought they would nab him and she'd stop looking over her shoulder at the man who believed she had simply been a commodity to be bought and used. She sought her memory for any detail about him but she simply saw the silhouette in dim light.

Everything else, a blank….like pieces of her memory were still missing. She knew that already, that there were times during her nightmarish captivity with Andre that she might never remember. Some of the memories remained hazy as if she had been drugged and there were times she didn't remember at all.

"So that's all we know," Jonathan finished, "He's out there somewhere but he still doesn't have a face."

Matt had thanked him for the news and they had gotten ready for bed after that. She had cuddled up next to him, the way she loved and he had fallen asleep first. He looked so peaceful, so relaxed…the sheet resting below his chest. She couldn't imagine him not being there with her but the images in her mind of those women washed up on shore as Andre's victims had been, haunted her. She believed that the murders were less emotional than those committed by Andre but more methodical. Maybe when the Jaguar had been forced to lie low by the heavy dragnet focusing on the trafficking trade right now, he simply chose to eliminate his inventory.

So that it couldn't be traced back to his real life identity perhaps. At any rate, he clearly hadn't valued the lives of the women he bought and sold. Jonathan didn't know how most of them had died and autopsies were still being analyzed for more clues. C.'t think they'd find them, she just felt this guy whoever he was had always proven too damn slick.

As long as he was out there, a big part of her felt damn vulnerable, but it wasn't just about her, it was about the man lying aside her, content in sleep. If anything happened to him because of what she brought into their relationship, she closed her eyes at the thought of that, losing the man that she loved so much. Matt was tough, he was well-trained and experienced to handle most any threat and he was determined to keep her safe but with someone like the Jaguar who had proven wily enough to be invisible now, it might not be enough.

She curled up against him trying hard to sleep, but the images of those women remained with her.

C.J. blinked her eyes open and her vision was blurred. She saw several faces but couldn't make out their features. She had tried to move but her body felt bruised, her muscles sore and her wrists ached.

When she tried to speak, her mouth felt parched, and she thought of asking for water but no sound came out.

She just listened instead to the moving figures.

"Did he leave," the woman sounding like Elena had asked.

"Yes he did…after he signed the papers," the other woman said, "to finalize the deal."

"I didn't like him."

The other woman's tone turned chastising.

"He's not here for you to like…he's here because Andre had something he wanted…It's just business and none of our concern."

"But what about her…she looks like she's been drugged."

"It's better that way…it's better if she never remembers…"

C.J. woke up then from her sleep, pulling her sheet against her. Matt stirred next to her but didn't awaken. She felt her heart pounding and the dream, just a sliver of something she almost remembered, began to ebb. So many nights she had woken up like this…much different than the nightmares she had about Andre. Those had been vivid down to the sounds, the odors and the taste of her fear. Not like these later dreams which were confusing, more about feelings and sensations than actual events. When she awoke from them, she wasn't left with much but the fear…it simply had no name.

But that didn't make it any less.

She had these dim memories of lying in her bed, back in the room where Andre kept her locked up between his visits. As if she had just awoken from a dream that she couldn't remember but her body…felt stiff and sore…and her throat parched. She just didn't recall very much and it frustrated her because she carried something inside of her and she had no idea what. But maybe somehow it was tangled in with her experiences with the Jaguar…the ones she didn't remember.

The moonlight shone in their bedroom and she tried to close her eyes again. This time he awoke and his sleepy face looked at hers.

"You awake long?"

She shook her head, looking at him.

"Not really…"

He stroked her arm.

"Bad dream?"

She sighed, moving closer to his warmth.

"Same dreams…the newer ones that I don't really know what's going on."

Matt remembered when she had first told him about the puzzling dreams that seemed within dreams that stemmed likely from some experiences she had as a captive when she had been confronted with gaps in her memories that had sprung up when she had least expected.

"Does it have to do with what Jonathan told us?"

She paused, because maybe in part, but something else had been going on here. She didn't know what drove this different brand of nightmare.

"A little but it just feels like it's some part of my time at the compound that I don't remember," she said, "Maybe I never did."

"That's likely to happen…you were traumatized after all and that impacts memories."

Yeah, he was right, she knew, that's what Diane had told her when they had spoken together. That the dreams might not necessarily make much sense in the light of day that analysis could answer some questions but maybe not all of them. They might also increase again as the trial date neared, the time when she'd have her day in court. With the new prosecutor, Derek driving her crazy, maybe that wasn't helping matters either.

Matt tried so hard to soothe her after her nightmares, and often being wrapped up in his embrace as her heart settled down into its normal rhythm did help her greatly. He had gotten into a relationship with a woman who he loved a great deal, but one who had been damaged.

The part of herself that she struggled with sometimes the most was that she had worked her way back to what she had been before the ordeal with Andre but there were parts of her that might never be entirely healed. But Matt had accepted that about her and the several months they had spent together in this fledgling relationship had been the best of her life.

"I know…but I keep hoping that it will get better and I feel like I'm taking two steps forward and one back."'

He heard the frustration and weariness in her voice but he just drew her closer to him, his breath against her cheek.

"It's okay…you're still moving forward, that's the important thing."

She knew that to be true and loved him for reminding her anyway, because sometimes she just needed that much.

"Now you need to just lay right here with me and get some sleep," he said, "We've both been running around a lot lately."

She sighed against him.

"I'm just so glad we're both spending time in the same place for a while again."

He closed his eyes as he held onto her.

"Me too…."

With that, she smiled and closed her eyes, letting sleep take her again.

* * *

><p>Stefan had packed his bags and at the airport given them to the handler to stow away in his Lear Jet which was awaiting takeoff to go to the States, New York City first. He had enjoyed his conferences in Copenhagen and the entertainment that had been provided but it was time to get down to the business at hand, the final steps he needed to take to insure that his tracks would be swept clean. The temptation to return to his trafficking empire remained strong but he had to be smart and play it safe with all the heat that had been turned on and that meant lying low for a while. His nights spent with the women who came into his bed kept his appetites from getting whetted too much and his wife tucked away in some chalet or other never asked any questions that cut too close to his real line of work.<p>

But he couldn't rest easily as long as a few loose strings remained that if discovered, could unravel and bring his carefully woven plan of action crashing down. He couldn't let that happen as there was no way he'd ever surrender his freedom and exchange all he held and controlled for the four walls of a squat prison cell. It just wasn't going to happen and if that meant engaging in some winnowing down of his inventory, that's what had to be done. Not that he really minded all that much because like most predators, he needed his fresh kills but the discovery of the bodies had…complicated things.

So did the existence of one woman in particular…one he had bought, not his first choice perhaps but when he had examined her closer…he knew he had to add her to his collection. Unfortunately, Andre's branch of operation came crashing down before he could collect her and the man he had entrusted to do that…he'd been killed after she had somehow escaped from him.

The woman who had finished him off had merely engaged in clean up as part of damage control for him. The man, who he had trusted enough to collect his prize purchase had as the woman, explained to him tried to sample the merchandize which was strictly forbidden. For that alone, he would have been punished anyway maybe not through death but something close enough to set an example.

Stefan boarded his plane with a couple of assistants who he put to work so he could have some privacy. He ordered some brandy and some of his favorite catered dishes and settled down for the long flight.

He had work to do and he wasn't leaving until he finished this chapter of his life.


	14. Chapter 14

C.J. really wanted to kick Derek's ass right now. He sat there opposite in his neatly pressed suit with his thick file on her, asking her the same questions she had already been asked by other prosecutors. She told herself that it was part of his job because he had inherited the file late in the process and had to bring him up to speed. There was no way to avoid that.

She just wished he weren't so damn arrogant.

Her energy bubbled up inside of her as she sat in her seat thinking about how she had the training to nearly take his head off with a roundhouse kick. But she had to maintain control her, to answer his questions without showing signs that he was getting to her.

"Okay, well you know the lawyer's going to ask you how many orgasms you had in the past year and who gave them to you."

She sighed, now was he asking her that to prepare her for the cross-examination or because he was getting his rocks off on her answers?

"I have a boyfriend…he's responsible for almost all of them and I'd rather not discuss them…will that make the defense attorneys happy?"

Oh, she couldn't believe she'd said that but damn, his questions and smug attitude were beginning to really try her patience.

"Your…boyfriend he's testifying right?"

She just wanted to scream at him after she kicked his head off his shoulders.

"Is the defense attorney going to ask him the same questions…you know to double check my own testimony about who's been getting me off?"

He slammed he folder down finally and she thought, ah now she'd gotten to him for a change.

"You don't have to be so impertinent…"

"So…what…?"

"Rude…"

She sighed just about reaching the point where she wanted to get up and walk on out of there.

"You want to trade places…you can talk about your orgasms for a change…Look I told you…you go out and get raped over and over and come back and tell me how much you enjoyed it."

"No need to go there…"

"Oh yeah, right…you can dip into my sexual history but is anyone going to ask Andre how many women he raped before he even got to me?"

"He's dead…"

She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I know…I was there."

He just sighed, looking at her.

"You know I didn't want this case."

She shot him a look.

"Really…I'd never know that by how you've been acting."

He held his hand up.

"You don't understand…I haven't worked that many cases, I get transferred to sex trafficking and they hand me your file…rather your box of files."

She folded her arms.

"No one wanted this case…I don't think the feds ever wanted to actually have to try the damn thing. They were hoping the survivors would cop pleas the first week…didn't happen."

"They all wanted to go to trial," Derek said, "I don't think anyone expected that."

She shrugged.

"Why shouldn't they...with Andre dead, they were gambling on the ire of those apprehending them ebbing and they played that card right."

"Now the U.S. Attorney's office remains just as dedicated to moving forward with this case…"

She held up her hand.

"I know what's going on better than you do…you're the sixth prosecutor assigned to this case less than two years. I didn't expect vertical prosecution but that's a lot of reassigning for a case this complicated."

"Well that's hardly my fault…anyway we're running out of time for today so I'll just ask you a few more questions."

She leaned back in her chair.

"Fire away…"

"Okay…if what Andre did to you traumatized you so much, how come you even have a boyfriend?"

She just stared at him, wanting to turn her kickboxing skills on him again.

* * *

><p>Matt ate lunch with Dan in the office, pizza boxes lying on the desk. He had just gotten a call from Roy who told him that he and Brody had cleared more cases and had sent out final invoices so they could clear them from the books. They had worked very efficiently together in the past several months getting most of that work done for him so he wouldn't have to fly out there.<p>

He had been more relieved about that than he would have guessed. That gave him some pause when he clicked off his phone…looking at it.

"What's up," Dan asked, while finishing a slice of pizza.

"Uncle Roy and Brody are done with most of the past bookkeeping," he said, "That'll save me a trip out there."

"Did you want to go see them?"

Matt sighed, picking up his bottle of iced sweet tea.

"I'm actually happy to stop traveling for a while."

Dan looked at him critically.

"You know Matt if it's getting to be too much, I can take some of it over."

Matt shook his head.

"No, it's fine for right now anyway but it's the first time that C.J. and I have been in the same place in about a month…it got pretty busy when we came back from Colorado."

Dan leaned back in his chair.

"Business got booming especially with the Kostas account," he said, "I hope he agrees to buy the whole system."

"Well he can do it piecemeal but there are a couple vulnerabilities that won't be covered then."

Matt and Dan had discussed the entire schematics of Stefan's security situation at his island estate. They had the blueprints laid out to show to him after he arrived before the gala. If they closed the deal with him then, the party would truly be a celebration. The caterers would arrive earlier to help set up and spend the day preparing the menu they had chosen for their guests.

Chris had done a lot of planning for the party, including most of the menu selection. She had sampled the food submitted for consideration by different vendors and then had passed some items around for the men to try before making the final decision. She had been on the phone finalizing the ice sculptures and other decorations that would be outside in the garden and later, she'd be talking to the music ensemble that had been hired to provide entertainment.

She loved planning events so they hadn't felt too guilty about her doing a lot of the work while they prepared the proposal for their client.

A phone call came in from L.A. and Matt smiled as he recognized Hoyt on the phone.

"Hi there…what's up?"

Hoyt grumbled and Matt knew he had reached for his ready supply of Rolaids, ah the stress of being a cop for a couple of decades.

"The usual…L.A.'s a busy town…but I'm calling because we received something from ICE and Interpol on some women's bodies that were discovered in Europe."

"Yeah…Jonathan called us earlier to tell us…they look like trafficked women that might have been tied to the Jaguar."

Hoyt paused clearly digesting Matt's words.

"You mean that lowlife who was hooked up with Andre Duval?"

Matt rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah…Interpol and Jonathan's division don't think that these women are the last that will turn up dead at his hands or someone else's."

Hoyt sighed.

"It's just like those women who turned up dead here at some of the beaches…"

Matt already knew all about those women who had been killed by Andre, that mystery had been solved not long after his death. But these latest killings indicated something ominous.

Hoyt read his thoughts.

"You think this means that he's surfacing again after all this time."

"Hoyt it's only been two years…"

"How's C.J. taking all this…the news that he might be back," Hoyt asked.

Matt sighed.

"To her he never left," he said, "She's been looking over her shoulder for two years."

"Maybe they can catch him now…if he's come back. He's got to show himself at some point."

Yeah Matt had worried about that not wanting it to be at C.J.'s expense but knew that the only chance of finding him would be to figure out his real identity. With his infamous alias, he had been able to hide quite easily where he would remain until those hunting could discover who he was when he hadn't been trafficking women.

"When he does, I'll be ready for him."

"Houston, you have to let those with the training and experience handle a guy like that," Hoyt said, "If he's not dangerous, he's hired people to surround him who are."

Matt knew that Hoyt had a point, he usually did when he admonished him not to go vigilante…but he meant what he said. If anyone including the Jaguar thought he could hurt his girlfriend, he'd found out he was mistaken quickly enough.

"Will you tell me if any women come up dead there especially Jane Does who bear strange marks."

"I will Houston but I'd be surprised if one does."

Matt had stopped being surprised when it came to Andre and he assumed the same for the Jaguar precisely because no one knew his real name. He could be anyone in any crowd and if he came their direction, they might not know until too late. He said goodbye to Hoyt and clicked off his phone.

* * *

><p>Sasha ordered room service, a simple continental breakfast as she reviewed the plans in front of her. She was to show up at Matt's party tonight and she still had to decide on her dress from a selection that she had ordered at a boutique on Rodeo Drive. Her contact in DOJ had told her that the FBI and the Marshal's office from Treasury were working with Interpol on the discovery of women's bodies in Europe. That didn't concern her much, she knew who killed them and that person wasn't worried about them being tied to him any time soon. No one knew who he was, so they could just sit back and watch that show.<p>

While focusing on their own plans, to carry out soon.

She missed the sex trafficking business but she spent most of her time busy burying herself in her new identity as Stefan's assistant. She knew that they might be picking up where they left off as soon as the heat died down, possibly a year or two from now. She'd be ready then to pick up the reins alongside him but she hoped it was sooner than that. She missed the rush and she had worked so hard to get up where she had gotten before it all threatened to come tumbling down.

The party might prove to be some fun indeed. She knew that playing Matt wouldn't be very easy but she was more than up to it. Stefan would wind up being very pleased in her efforts.

But he was going to be in New York City and then in Houston in a day or so when he finished up that business deal back East. She had a lot left to do until he arrived which would keep her quite busy indeed, she thought as she jumped into the shower.

* * *

><p>C.J. drove on to her office after leaving Derek, somehow without killing him. She realized that those questions would be asked of her on the witness stand if the case ever reached trial but still…how dare he tap into some of her more sensitive areas. She turned on the radio to an old rock station, while she drove down the street through a major commercial section where new malls were being built. Houston had changed quite a bit since she had last lived there and she couldn't wait until she and Matt finished their house and left the city.<p>

Her mind lingered on the question about why she had a boyfriend…she had given Derek his answer but she knew it wasn't about having any boyfriend or lover in her life after the traumatic years she had experienced, it was about it being Matt. She didn't think she would have been able to let any other guy into her life. Matt had been loving and he'd been patient, always her best friend. He had followed her to Colorado to help her on her case there with the land developers after a group of them tried to kill her and two other lawyers in a car crash and while in the valley, their love had taken root and grown. But working through physical intimacy issues had been challenging until he made it clear to her they'd be moving at her pace, which seemed so damn slow. Once she crossed that threshold with him in a cabin outside of Denver, she felt herself becoming more whole again. She learned that sometimes you had to work through your fears and take that leap of faith to enrich your life which she had done with Matt. With him, she felt like a woman again and not a commodity.

"_This is Megan Stewart in Houston with the latest news…More bodies have been uncovered, this time in Denmark and Norway from inside the largest cities. The count's been lower than in Italy, France or Greece but three women have been found dead. Two were found with fractured necks in or near major commercial areas of Oslo and Copenhagen while another woman died after apparently falling or jumping out of the window of a hotel. Police working with Interpol to identify the dead women and get some leads on their killers have identified commonalities between them but won't release further information… _

C.J. started breathing after the news brief had ended. A sickening feeling seized her because the women…she felt she knew them only in a way much different than it had been with Andre's victims. She just didn't understand where this feeling arose inside of her. She really didn't know much about the Jaguar, but she knew that the commonality of these women was similar to what had united Andre's victims.

A tattoo, one she knew all too well, one that she had once wore, that had been removed from her body but not from inside of her.

* * *

><p>Stefan had landed in New York City's La Guardia airport with his private jet having gotten some sleep after finishing paperwork. He headed straight to a townhouse in Manhattan and ordered some Thai food to be sent while he settled down to do more work leaving his bags unpacked inside the bedroom. The meal had been ordered from a special restaurant where women did the delivering and then stayed to provide the entertainment. He had set up shop in the Eastern seaboard with similar operations, masked as restaurants, and after looking through a menu which included the working women he had made his selection.<p>

After all, he had a long flight and he needed some relaxation, some good food and a disposable woman. His work in one of his adopted countries had begun.


	15. Chapter 15

Stefan remained in his hotel room for most of the day, doing some paperwork needed to help him run his multi-billion dollar corporation. He had everything set up and in between he would attend another seminar on the drug protocol.

The room service delivered him breakfast and he ate it out on the patio outside his penthouse suite. He tipped well and the service employees knew him as this world renowned pharmaceutical king.

They didn't know where he had made most of his money. He had after all, covered those tracks quite well.

But some loose ends remained.

He picked up his phone and called Sasha who picked up her end quickly.

"I'd hoped to hear from you already," he said, "We don't have much time."

She didn't appear to like the tone of his voice but she hid it well.

"Stefan, I'm going to be at that party they're throwing in a couple days," she said, "I'll keep Matt occupied long enough for you to spend some time with his girlfriend."

"Okay, so the script is that you're working for my pharmaceutical company, that you started not long after we all met up in Germany and that you won't be staying in town very long."

"Will you?"

He paused.

"Only long enough to get the job done," he said, "It's unfortunate that it had to come to this, so much effort put into it but with that trial coming up, I can't afford any of what would come out to tie back to me."

"Cause you're going straight, right I got it."

He felt irritation tug at his insides at her insolence.

"Sasha, that's partly your fault," he said, "You and Sergei…"

"Hey Sergei's let pleasure get in the way of business," she said, "By the way he's dead."

Stefan remembered that fiasco well. He had to send one of his deep cover operatives into Andre's compound to finish what his newly purchased whore had done. If it hadn't been for Sergei, she would have at least put a couple years of time earning her keep with his operation before he'd snapped her neck.

"Sasha, I'm going to give you your final instructions for the party tomorrow before my plane lands in Houston."

"Okay then I'll be waiting," she said, "and don't worry about Matt; I can keep him properly distracted."

He clicked off his phone not long after that and looked back at his bed, with its 700 thread silken sheets and the blonde woman lying on it, her hands tethered by soft rope to the posts. She'd been his best whore in a tiny basement bordello in Queens. That operation had cleared out within in minutes of a vice squad showing up in force with ICE agents to raid it.

All they found was an empty storage facility stripped wall to wall. The women had been smuggled out of there inside a darkened van to a small airstrip to fly them up to Oslo, via Halifax.

But not one of his favorites, a lithe blonde who really had been a brunette dressed in a skimpy dress and wearing his totem on her bare shoulder. She had been busy the past couple years since he came from Holland to New York City answering an ad to become the next superstar model. So many young impressionable women trapped inside bodies ripened by maturity had fallen for that scam and she had been one of them.

She had been delivered to his hotel as a cousin and had been pleasuring him for the past couple of hours. She hadn't resisted until he had tied her up and had gone to make his business calls.

Now that he had finished, time to push business aside for a little while and he casually slid his silk bathrobe off of his body and he walked towards the bed. After straddling her, he pressed her against the bed, before rutting his hips against her. She whimpered as he kept pressing her against the mattress but not loud enough to gag her.

His hands itched to wrap around her neck before he would snuff the life out of a woman who would remain one of those loose ends if she walked out of his suite. So he bode his time well.

* * *

><p>C.J. picked up the phone after she had finished her kickboxing practice and had wrapped a towel around her neck. Chris had promised to call her about the party<p>

"Hey Chris, I'm sure it's coming along fine," she said.

"I'm not Chris," a woman's clipped voice came, "I'm Clarissa."

C.J. felt puzzled trying to figure out if she knew anyone by that name.

"I don't think I know you."

Clarissa paused.

"Oh you don't," she said, "I'm an old friend of Matt's. We met up when he was globetrotting several years ago."

C.J. remembered back then when Matt had taken off after his busted engagement to Elizabeth on a six month sabbatical completely removing himself from his life. He had told her about some of the adventures he'd had along the way but she couldn't recall any meet ups with the woman on the phone.

"Oh…well nice to meet you…"

"Likewise, I was invited to his party that he's throwing for my boss," she said, "I work for Stefan Kostas as one of his closest associates."

C.J. settled down on the couch.

"How'd you even get this number?"

"Oh I think it was on a business card Matt gave me at the show," she said, "I ran into him and his partner Dan a few days ago."

C.J. remembered back to when Matt had gone with Dan to the car show. But again, no mention of Clarissa though something about her voice…no but she had never met her. She'd remember wouldn't she?

"Well they meet up with a lot of people as part of their business," she said, "Do you want me to tell them you called?"

"Oh no…that's not necessary," she said, "I wanted to call and say I look forward to seeing the both of you at the party coming up."

"Okay, see you then."

"And my boss looks forward to attending as well," Clarissa said, "You've never met him have you?"

C.J. rubbed the bridge of her noise.

"No I haven't," she said, "I've heard his name often enough through them."

"Well maybe we can all together for a drink at the party and some conversation," Clarissa said, "We'll see you then."

C.J. said goodbye to her then clicked off her phone. She heard the door open and in walked Matt dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. He smiled at her as he approached to wrap his arms around and kiss her. She buried herself in his scent as she usually did, she could never get enough of him.

The love of her life standing there with her.

They separated and they walked over to the couch to sit down together.

"How'd your meeting go," she asked him.

"The preliminary tests came back on the new system," Matt said, "Dan's going to forward them to a couple of our clients."

"That sounds promising."

He nodded.

"It's been a couple years for Dan working to put it together," Matt said, "I hope Mr. Kostas goes for it."

"I talked to his associate, Clarissa. She said she met up with you in Europe a couple years back."

Matt's eyes widened.

"Yeah I remember that," he said, "I didn't know she was working with Kostas."

C.J. leaned back on the sofa.

"She's coming to the party and said that Kostas will be with her."

Matt had to process that. He had no idea that Clarissa had any ties to his client. She hadn't back when the three of them had met up in that small German town but some time had passed since that autumn.

"It'll be nice to meet her."

Matt looked at his girlfriend but she just smiled at him.

"So how'd your meeting go with Derek?"

She frowned at that.

"He's good at his job…very good," she said, "which just makes me want to smack him all the more."

Matt heard the weariness in her voice.

"That hard…if what he said is bothering you, why don't you talk to someone else about it?"

She furrowed her forehead and shook her head.

"No it's fine," she said, "Nothing an hour of kick and punching the bag didn't fix."

He smiled at her, knowing how sharp those skills of hers had gotten but knowing that with the Jaguar still out there somewhere, she intended to keep her defensive skills sharpened.

So did he because if the notorious trafficker who had gone underground came calling, she wouldn't be facing him alone. If he had his way, she wouldn't be facing him at all.

"So what would you like for dinner?"

She thought about it.

"How about some pizza," she said, "and some of that wine we picked up at the vineyard?"

He smiled at that, draping his arm around her and pulling her closer to him. She rested her head against his shoulder, putting all thoughts of Derek and everyone else out of her mind.

"I love you," she told him.

He turned his face towards her and kissed her softly at first. But she thirsted for more from him and he delivered. She ran her fingers through his hair pulling him closer to her as she leaned back further on the couch.

"I love you too…"

"It's so nice to be coming home at the end of the day."

She agreed with that by kissing him again and pulling him closer.

"So you want to put off dinner for a little while?"

C.J. nodded giving him the answer he wanted to hear.

* * *

><p>They ate their pizza a while later in their favorite spot, sprawled out on their bed. The wine had tasted perfectly with it. He had called it in and she had gone to the door making sure she had slipped a robe on first.<p>

"This is my favorite part…"

He gazed over at her as she chewed her food thoughtfully.

"The pizza, yeah it's great."

She chuckled.

"Nah, being here like this just relaxing after…. Getting some exercising and not having to worry about anything else for a little while."

He sighed, understanding what she meant. He had plans to cut down on his traveling from now on. But besides that, he had a question he'd been mulling over a while to ask her. Not the asking part as much as the timing. He could wait after all.

She'd been through an awful lot…they both had but their lives were finally settling down into an equilibrium of happiness and security, something they both wanted after the past several years.

"C.J…"

She glanced over at him, her face haloed by her dark hair.

"When things quiet down a bit, I was thinking, maybe we could go off together for a week."

She furrowed her brows.

"Yeah that would work, we could hire the contractor for the house and I could take some time off."

"Me too," he said, "There's a lull coming up anyway in about a month."

"Okay then, we'll set that time for us to go travel a bit," she agreed, "Any ideas on where to go?"

Matt thought about it, he had to do some careful planning to surprise her as to why he wanted some time apart from their chaotic lives.

"We'll both put our heads together and think of something okay?"

"Oh yeah, most definitely," she said, "That's a promise."

But outside of their home, another man sat in a hotel room half of a continent away and plotted.


	16. Chapter 16

Matt looked over at C.J. who lay asleep in bed beside him, wrapped up in the sheets. Her bare shoulder displayed her tattoo that she'd gotten to cover up an even uglier mark there. After dining on pizza, they had started kissing and one thing had led to another as it often did, but given what they had both survived, he never took those nights they shared for granted. He'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, with everything that had been on his mind since he'd agreed to accept Stefan as a client. It had proven to be one of the most challenging assignments that he and Dan had picked up but it would move their firm up on the list of those called by the biggest clients in the security business.

The traveling had been arduous for a while given that he did most of it and most of the field assignments because Dan and Chris had begun their family and were pretty much rearing Butterfly as well. Matt had considered his work a big adventure and had liked this part of it because it most resembled the investigations he had done back in L.A. Speaking of which, he'd better check his phone.

Sure enough, Brody had called him from L.A. no doubt needing to talk to him about his investigative agency that he and Roy had pretty much taken over.

"Hi Brody…"

"Matt old buddy, nice to hear from you this morning," Brody said.

Matt walked out to the window to look out and see that the sun had risen already and another steamy scorcher of a day was in order. Hopefully, by the time of the gala tonight, it wouldn't be only be comfortably tropical.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, I just thought I'd check up on you and your lovely girlfriend to see how life's treating you out there."

Matt walked to the kitchen to make himself some coffee and to get breakfast started.

"Everything's great. C.J.'s getting a lot of work done and so am I," he said, "I told you we're doing the Kostas account."

"Oh yeah, the guy's stinking rich but is he really as eccentric as they say?"

Matt frowned, really not knowing how to describe his client. Between their discussions and the fact that Stefan had pulled a gun on him, he still didn't feel as if he knew anything about him. He'd been way too busy to be unsettled by that, figuring the guy just enjoyed his privacy and wanted to protect his family.

Not that Matt had ever met them either. But he could understand how competitive and cutthroat the pharmaceutical industry could be so he supposed he couldn't blame Stefan for being very cautious.

"He's not been unreasonable but he's clearly a private sort."

"His account will really put you two on the map," Brody said, "He's world renowned."

Matt knew that and he knew that the man had proven to be somewhat of a miracle worker when it came to therapeutic drugs. Of course he made a ton of money which he poured some of it into charitable foundations like Matt had done with his fortune.

"Brody, how you treating my firm," Matt asked.

Silence met him.

"You and Roy keeping up with the caseload…?"

"Sure thing Matt. We've worked through most of the backlog and Kats the new clerical team member's come up with a much better filing system."

"Oh…so everything's all right," Matt said, "So if I were to hand it off to you and Roy…"

"It'll be in great hands but you don't have to make that decision right now," Brody said, "Take your time. Get used to your life there, take great care of C.J. and we'll talk about it later."

Matt clicked off the phone a moment later to start breakfast. But he'd been serious when he told Brody that he planned to sell him the business at least his active partnership in it. It had given him some restless nights but he knew that his life had moved with him to Houston. The adjustment hadn't been nearly as tough as he thought; it'd been like coming home especially since he and C.J. had bought a spread outside the city.

She had needed to come here to work on healing from the trauma which had marked her life. It made sense for her to build her new life here as well and as for him, he knew that after the time they'd spent in Colorado, he had wanted to spend his life with her. He loved waking up wrapped in her warmth or with her snuggled against him.

He felt a pair of arms slip around his waist and the smell of honeysuckle just behind him.

"Good morning…"

He turned around to see C.J. wearing her royal blue silken robe, her curly hair loose around her shoulders.

"You're up."

She nodded, and then before she could say anything, he had captured her mouth with his own, placing his hands on her hips so he could draw her even closer.

One of the best ways to start the morning off right in his opinion and when they separated, she went to the frig to get some eggs to whip up some Huevos Rancheros before they both had to head off to work until later tonight when they'd attend the party.

C.J. had only planned on working until early afternoon because she, Fran and Chris were going to their favorite day spa to get her hair and nails done. She hadn't gone in a while being so busy but for a special occasion. She made the appointment with her friends.

"I've only got a couple appointments," Matt said, "a teleconference with another client."

She broke some eggs onto the stove while Matt sliced up some avocados and got the salsa ready. They loved cooking together, practicing some of the recipes they'd picked up during their lives. This one arose from Matt's time spent with his daddy's cook when he'd been a kid.

"It's going to be a great party," Matt said, "Not that I go for these business soirees."

She smiled at him while he went to get the plates.

"You just don't like wearing a tux unless it has a clip on tie," she said, pulling him closer, "although I'm happy to say I'm like dating this penguin very much."

They kissed again until the popping sound of the eggs grabbed their attention. He reached for the spatula.

"Maybe we'd better settle on breakfast first and then…we'll see what happens.

What happened is that they wound up between the sheets again because once she started kissing him, she couldn't stop there. And making love to the man who'd been her best friend her whole life sent slivers of pleasure down to her toes and other places as well.

He held her in his embrace afterward as they both returned to earth.

"Wow…that was really something."

She chuckled at him.

"Yes it was…and if you play your cards right, they'll be a repeat performance later tonight."

Oh that made him smile but she'd really enjoyed embracing this passionate side of their relationship because after all she'd been through, she didn't know if that part of herself would ever come alive again.

They showered together, soaping each other off and somehow managing to behave themselves before getting dressed and heading to their cars.

She watched him drive to his office in his car before taking off in hers and she couldn't wait to see him tonight. The party, she'd enjoy it but she'd be spending most of her time all dressed and gussied up thinking about being alone with him.

Life with him in Houston had somehow turned out to be the best months of her life. She had really enjoyed her new career helping women who'd been through nightmares just like she had been and watching them empower themselves. Just like she had learned herself though it had been so damn difficult most of the time and painful too but she'd learned to transform her frustrations into accomplishments. That's what had gotten her through the arduous journey of helping to take the largest human trafficking trial in history to trial hopefully early next year.

Derek hadn't called her this morning so far so maybe there actually would be a trial coming up then. But she couldn't build her life on whether or not that day in court would actually take place because she knew as well as any lawyer how unpredictable the criminal justice system could prove to be.

She reached her office quickly and Kyra greeted her.

"Any calls?"

Kyra handed her some slips.

"Simon's called twice."

C.J. made a face at the mention of the FBI agent that she'd come up against several times. Jonathan had told her that underneath his gruffness he was passionate about his job. But they had clashed more than once already…no his call could wait a little while. She had helped place a couple of women in safe houses in different cities and she had to check on them through their handlers.

Simon might not like it but he wasn't first on her list today.

Stefan had checked into Houston's most posh hotel the previous day and had found the presidential suite on the top floor much to his liking. He had booked out the entire floor so he wouldn't be disturbed and he'd heard the cuisine was only the finest foods flown in from Europe including some of his favorite dishes.

He sat back after eating a breakfast of an omelet and thick slabs of bacon along with kippers. Tonight would be the party that would be thrown in his honor by Matt and Dan, the men working on his security system. He had been most pleased with their work and their product would be a nice bonus apart from his main objective from traveling to Houston.

The folder sat on top of the glass covered table on the balcony where he ate his breakfast. He flipped it open and pulled out a photo of the woman he had targeted as his main purpose, because as long as she lived, she endangered his operation.

And she would be at the party tonight where they would meet face to face again. But would she remember much if anything about him? After all, she hadn't been fully alert the last time they had been together. There was a chance that she would look at him without recognition on her face.

But she could take one look at him and remember everything. That would ruin all of his future plans as he navigated through the current very tricky situation involving the dragnet and prosecution of those involved in trafficking women. He didn't want to get swept up in the net certainly not because of her.

He had planned out tonight down to the letter and after all that time, it was finally time to put it into motion.


	17. Chapter 17

C.J. relaxed at the day spa with her friends, Chris and Fran. The three of them had penciled in an afternoon there to prepare for the gala later that evening. They knew of the importance of the gathering for Matt and Dan and their growing business. After all, Stefan Kostas was their most influential, wealthiest client so far. If they could succeed in making him happy, that would open up to even more lucrative opportunities.

Not that Matt needed any more money but he liked the satisfaction of his new venture which still allowed him the opportunity to flex his investigative skills in exciting new ways. So she and the other two women had met at the spa and had taken aromatic soaks before getting their muscles kneaded until they felt relaxed and then the facials…They met up sitting in the same salon getting their hair fussed over and their manicures touched up. The robes they wore fit comfortably, the green tea they had been given left them feeling even more relaxed.

Parties seldom had that affect on C.J. unless they were simple affairs involving her family and friends. The larger, fancier soirees left her more on edge these days, given that being in crowds bothered her. But she knew how much Matt wanted this so she pushed aside her concern and the spa treatments certainly helped.

"This is going to be a larger party than we planned," Chris noted, while receiving her French manicure.

C.J. sighed, having seen the guest list expand in recent days when Chris had shared it with her. Fran just looked at the both of them.

"Any chance to get away from the twins…don't get me wrong I love them but Chris I hope you know what you're in for…"

Chris just smiled patting her rounded body, which felt great after she had received the special treatment package for expectant mothers.

"I can't wait," she said, "and Dan's started buying up baseball and football equipment so sure it's going to be a boy."

Fran eyed her critically.

"You're carrying like it could be, but you never know," she said, "after all, I never knew I'd have twins."

C.J. looked at the happiness on her friend's face. Truth be told, Fran probably never guessed she'd be married and the mother of two adorable babies. Her life had been so arduous and filled with more pain than fond memories including of her family. But Carlos had mended what wounds remained inside of her and they were very happy together.

Both women looked over at C.J.

"So what about you," Fran said, "You're having kids right…you and Houston?"

C.J. nodded.

"Not for a while obviously," she said, "but someday, it's just there's so much I have to do to reach that point but we're together now and that's what counts."

She knew her friends understood where she came from with her words and they wished nothing but happiness for the two of them after everything they had been through during the past two years. Matt had broached the topic of legalizing things but she had demurred, gently saying that she needed the status quo right now, the stability that it brought to her chaotic life. Not that she didn't enjoy her work, but having to deal with the upcoming criminal trial, one of the largest of its kind ever, that kept her from planning too far ahead.

That and the fact that out there, somewhere, the Jaguar still lurked…was he watching and waiting right now for the perfect time to strike? She had no way of knowing the answer to that because to her and most everyone else who hunted him, he remained faceless…a shadow out in the world somewhere but no one could trace him.

But she felt his nearness sometimes like her time with Matt steeped in happiness was remained borrowed.

Chris smiled at C.J.

"I'm sure when the time's right, you'll get it all sorted out," she said, "After all, it took Dan and I a while to decide to make it official."

C.J. remembered that too. Chris had gotten together with Dan after she had moved to take a high-ranking corporate position at Houston Enterprises and he'd been an ex-cop starting his own business. He had helped them with security issues and the two had gravitated quickly towards one another.

Still, they had spent much of a year first helping C.J. hide out on a Coloradan ranch and then with Matt in several other places while they remained caught between ruthless human traffickers and the authorities trying to track them down. But life in its own way had smoothed out its rough edges in the past year and they had settled into married life.

Matt and C.J. had done that although their own road had hit a few rough patches but a few months working together in Silver Lode, Colorado had helped bring them closer together.

She wanted it all with him, marriage, a home on a spread outside of Houston filled with animals and then children. She didn't know how they'd handle it all and their challenging careers but they'd figure it out because they loved each other so much. A woman walked up to her to buff up her nails and she sat thinking about after the party tonight when the two of them would be alone again. She wanted to broach the issue of maybe taking off together for a little while even if it were only a weekend, rent a cottage on the coast of the gulf.

So they could wrap themselves up in each other, talking about the future, the one that waited for them if they'd reach out and embrace it.

* * *

><p>Matt and Dan finalized the contacts for some other clients while they wound down business at the firm so they could go home and change. C.J. had said that she would be at home and get dressed so they could leave together. He knew she had needed a girls' day at the spa because she had been so busy lately, too busy to do the relaxation that she needed. Tonight, when they settled back in their house, he would bring up the issue of taking a vacation together, to get away from everything and everyone for a while. She had shied away from any discussions of their future if it involved marriage, subtly enough so he didn't know if she were fully aware of doing it.<p>

"The paper called, they're sending a reporter to the party."

Matt gazed up from his desk.

"Why…it's good news for us but why would they be interested?"

Dan leaned against the doorway.

"I guess because Kostas is a giant in his industry and us providing him with his new system gives a local angle to the story. It'll be great for publicity to attract new clients."

Matt agreed with that but still, it seemed a bit odd that the newspaper would have caught onto that.

"He booked an entire floor of Houston's top hotel," Dan said, "but I guess he can't afford to be too careful."

Matt scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, there must be espionage in his line of work that's pretty much unequaled elsewhere."

"Lucky for us and our firm," Dan said, "but it must be a logistical nightmare at times."

"I'd imagine so but the guys's got more money than he needs to cover himself," Matt said, "and keep his production line secured."

Dan sighed.

"He's sure got a ton of cash," he said, "Even considering his success in his industry. He's not been in pharmaceuticals that long and usually it's tough to break into even with great capital."

Matt thought about that, because it had been nagging at him for no good reason really. His investigative instincts just worked on overdrive sometimes. Had the guy been this well heeled when they had met up in Germany back when he had been much less established, what had he been working in back then exactly? Matt couldn't remember but he'd been traveling through the country and hadn't been in that village that long. Only long enough to enjoy a brief fling with Clarissa who had also popped back on the radar, in Houston of all places.

And she and Stefan had shown up in the same place then too…

"Matt I'm going to finish up this last round of paperwork and then head on out," Dan said, "I'll see you at the party."

Matt nodded from his work.

"I'll see you then."

* * *

><p>Stefan had spent most of his time in the plush hotel up in the top floor that he had paid to keep empty. No one to disturb him or to notice the whore who had dropped by his pad last night, dressed in a silk dress and not much else. None of that stopped him from planning for tonight when he would lay eyes on her in the same room for the first time since…since the last time they had been together under much different circumstances. He clenched his teeth, by all rights she should be one of the whores in his thriving stable of them, reaping in the dollars into his operation. But fate hadn't been too kind to him, curtailing his lucrative pursuits while the feds had zeroed in on Andre's operations. Even the third partner, Lucian had scarcely been seen since.<p>

He wondered if she still bore his mark on his shoulder or if it had been removed. Remembering the night that he had watched it branded into her soft flesh, listening to the screams, it elated him. He had made the decision to accept her to pay off Andre's outstanding debts and had made arrangements to have her flown to the Ukraine to his estate there.

The one that didn't appear on any map….the one he kept hidden from his family and most everyone else. But she had escaped from Andre and it had taken him too many months to catch up with her only after she had gone to his compound on Sapphire Island to confront him. Because he had abducted Matt to use against her, to bring her to him…and that hadn't worked out well for Andre.

He had died and his operations had threatened to fold along with him and the shockwaves hit other similar businesses including his own. He had to lie low, to cloak himself with his more legitimate work for a while and had quietly eliminated most of those including scores of whores to ensure that his cover wouldn't be blown.

But she remained out there in the world, living her life, doing dangerous things like working with feds against people like him. So he had to come for her, to ensure she would never help the authorities find him.

He had it all planned out and tonight would merely be the introduction to the chain of events that would follow after they met again face to face.

It would be her final time, his new beginning and the intertwining of the two futures sent thrills through him, as he prepared to engage in the next step after the hunt.

After all, that's what jaguars did, right?


	18. Chapter 18

Matt couldn't take his eyes off of C.J. when she dressed up in blue, or really any color for that matter.

But the royal blue dress with spaghetti straps that hugged her figure almost made him want to cancel their plans for the party and spend the night alone with her. The hair stylist had fixed her hair so that it curled gently around her face and just touched her shoulders.

Then there was that tattoo on her shoulder that had been created to cover up the mark of the Jaguar that had been seared into her skin.

While she'd been awake enough to feel every nerve fiber beneath the skin get burned. Getting the tattoo of the Frog Prince had also been a tribute to a joke the two of them had shared since the day he had kissed her after Rupert won the frog jumping contest. Their signals had been a little crossed that day but they'd straightened them out later. After they realized that their love of critters like frogs was just another thread that bound them together.

She wore the emerald necklace he had given her around her neck. It had been his gift after she had lost her other one and it brought out the green in her eyes which looked at him right now. He had gotten into one of those tuxedos or penguin suits as he called them and had fiddled with the tie until she smiled at him as she approached to help tie it better. Not that he minded, catching a hint of her cologne that hinted of flowers from the tropics reminding him of the months they'd spent there.

He looked at her after she finished with his tie, and reached out to tip her chin gently, stroking her skin with his thumb.

"You're so beautiful," he said, "I suppose if we called them up and explain to them that we might be running a little late."

She chuckled at him.

"Don't you dare," she said, "as much as I'd rather accept your invite, this party's important to your firm."

He stroked her face some more, and she liked the way her skin tingled underneath his touch. There had been a long stretch of time when being touched by someone she cared about left her feeling numb, as if she lacked all feeling. It had taken a lot of time and hard work, not to mention the man in front of her to get her feeling back.

She kissed him softly on his mouth, her message filled with promise before the two of them left to go to the party.

Chris had put herself in charge of the refreshments and the she had opted for a flowery patterned dress that complemented her pregnancy. Sometimes Chris said she felt like she might burst but she still had some time left before delivery. Fran kept teasing her about having twins but Chris hadn't seemed too concerned about that since her doctor had just done an ultrasound.

The wet bar served plenty of drinks besides the champagne being circulated by finely suited waiters bearing golden trays. That had been Murray's idea when he had walked in on them planning the soiree and had offered some suggestions, some of which Matt could see on display.

* * *

><p>Matt and Dan had been talking to some clients as soon as they arrived, leaving C.J. to go help Chris and Fran who were supervising the caterers at the country club. Some of them had wanted to meet Stefan when he arrived and had quizzed Matt and Dan about their new system.<p>

Until one guest, the second in command of the Houston Police Department walked up to the wet bar to chat with Dan and let it slip that a woman's body had been recovered near an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Matt and Dan just looked at each other.

"You have an ID?"

The member of the brass looked up at Matt.

"It's too early for us to say if we did, but in this case we don't," he said, "It's another Jane Doe."

Yeah, Matt thought sipping his scotch. There hadn't been a shortage of nameless women showing up mostly on land that shored bodies of water such as lakes and oceans. First the bodies that had been later connected back to Andre in his earlier years and now the latest…

They couldn't be victims of the late trafficker but maybe someone else close to him or as Matt suspected someone even closer to the Jaguar.

If not the mysterious reclusive figure himself.

"Any markings…on her body," he asked.

"A scar on her abdomen from an appendectomy but not much else," the man replied.

"Any tattoos?"

The man shook his head.

"Nothing like that…no marks at all," he said, "Except some mild bruising on her wrists."

Matt didn't want to say it out loud but if the woman had bore a brand or tattoo like many of the others, like the one that C.J. had once worn, then he'd believe for sure, it was the Jaguar or his men. But if the women had no markings at all, then it could be random, as no shortage of tragic things happened to women.

"We haven't had any Jane Does in six months," the man continued, "Not at all and now out of the blue, one pops up."

Dan nodded.

"Test her DNA and see if there's anything on file in the criminal databases or missing persons."

The man nodded, clearly already considering that suggestion. Matt wasn't sure much would pan out as DNA had worked in some cases and not others. Sometimes the families of the victims were able to provide hair samples from brushes or elsewhere of their missing loved ones to match up against DNA tests done on an unidentified person. Then there were dental records.

But Matt wondered if they'd ever ID this woman at all or if anyone would come forward to claim her.

He sipped his Scotch slowly, wondering what it all meant. The hairs prickling on the back of his neck, reminding him that maybe he might be missing something.

* * *

><p>C.J. kept Chris company while she whipped up some more designer snacks for the upper crust guests.<p>

"The party's going great," she said, "Over 100 people here already."

Chris sighed.

"Matt and Dan are victims of their own success," she said, "I just hope there's enough food for everyone."

"It'll work out," C.J. said, "These caterers always bring surplus to cover all bases."

Chris peeked outside the double doors of the kitchen and watched the professional athletes mingle with the musical performers and the politicians including Houston's mayor.

But no sign yet of Stefan Kostas or anyone in his party, meaning they hadn't arrived. She thought that he'd call if something delayed him so maybe it had been traffic. Not for the first time she wondered what he was like, she'd heard he was ruggedly built like a man who grew up outdoors yet had an urbanite's sense of style. He must be very intelligent, very poised, ready to deal with a changing situation right away, and have an incredible work ethic. All she knew about him was the articles she had read about his rise in the pharmaceutical industry and how he had seemed to come emerge out of nowhere.

"Will his wife be here?"

C.J. turned around and saw that Chris had joined her.

"I don't know, I don't think so," she said, "From what I read, she pretty much remains in the background with the children."

Chris shrugged.

"I've seen what he looks like," she said, "His wife must be very trusting of him or very worried."

C.J. figured that either he honored his marriage vows or he didn't and if he chose the latter, he had more than enough money to hide any affairs or mistresses from anyone, including his own wife.

"Maybe they have it worked out," she said, "so that she doesn't know because she chooses not to be privy to everything in his business life."

Chris shook her head.

"I don't understand that," she said, "I mean I couldn't imagine being with anyone but Dan…well except for Hugh Jackman on a beach but I'd never want anything or anyone else."

C.J. smiled.

"That's because you love him," she said, "and you made promises to each other that you intend to keep."

Chris shrugged.

"I don't know if any guy would want to give me his time looking like this."

C.J. glanced at her friend who placed her hand on her abdomen where her baby grew and knew she had never seen her looking so happy and at peace with her life. Hopefully Matt and she would find that same place together.

* * *

><p>Stefan handed the keys to his valet. After all, it was only a rental car, a BMW and when he started to walk up the pathway to the country club building, he saw Sasha getting out of her vehicle. Her blond hair spilled behind her and dressed in black, she looked lethal in many ways.<p>

She gave him a stern look when he approached her. The dress as attractive and expensive as it looked; it didn't do her figure justice. Sasha had once been the perfect whore but had grown into the even more perfect assistant.

"You're late…"

Her eyes met his own and she smiled slowly.

"So are you," she said, "I'm ready to go inside and do some mingling."

"You know why you're here," Stefan said, "I want you to spend time with your ex lover while I find her."

Sasha tilted her face.

"She might not even remember you," she said, "She was drugged was she not?"

He nodded.

"Most of the time yes," he said, "Andre was having a difficult time controlling her. He never did succeed."

"He's not you Stefan…"

Her boss smiled at that because he had always believed that Andre had been his inferior in business and in some of the lines of pleasure that they shared.

"If she doesn't remember me now, it doesn't matter," he said, "She will later."

"Maybe…maybe not but I'll keep Matt busy while you access the situation."

His smile widened and he reached over to touch a lock of blonde hair on her forehead. She didn't mind it.

"If she does remember…I'm going to have to act quickly," Stefan said, "I've brought the drug…it's quite potent."

"How much," she asked, "It'll have to be fast."

He nodded.

"One injection, that can barely be felt and she'll be gone in under a minute," Stefan said, "into the permanent sleep."

"Ah yes, a fitting end to her pathetic life," she said, "Really she should have been finished off after Andre used her."

Sasha had always considered Andre to be unrefined including in his ruthlessness. Her boss sighed, looking at his watch.

"It's time to get inside and put this plan in action," he said, "Make this last night of her life a very memorable one."

With that decided, they headed inside the building as the line of guests waited to receive them.


	19. Chapter 19

Clarissa found Matt right away after leaving the receiving line. Dan's brows rose when he saw her walking towards them, champagne flute in hand. Dressed in a black dress which while elegant left little to the imagination.

"Wow…"

Matt sipped his scotch.

"Yeah…she's really something," he said, "successful businesswomen too."

She smiled as she walked up to him and reached out her hand to shake his. Her cologne reached him, something more regal since the time they had spent together in Germany.

"Good to see you again," she said, "This is quite some spread."

Matt looked around at the over 100 guests talking in clusters while sampling the gourmet catering.

"We wanted Mr. Kostas to feel welcome in Houston," he said, "He's been a great contract for our firm."

She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, ever since he hired me I've grown amazed at his dedication and his amazing work ethic."

Matt's brows rose.

"You two…"

"Yes, we're combining our strengths to take his conglomerate to a much higher level."  
>Matt wondered if that were possible, considering how quickly he had climbed the ladder to success already. He and Dan had tried to guess what business he had run before he switched to pharmaceuticals which had been informational technology. Still, his wealth had grown exponentially when he started creating and distributing exciting new drug protocols.<p>

But like most businessmen in his field he had to keep secrets locked up in safe places and Matt knew that their security system once it was customized further would serve its purpose well.

He saw Stefan mill around the wet bar introducing himself to some of the guests almost as if he were the host of the party. The man had charisma, Matt had picked that up when he had met him back in that German village and had met up with him more recently. The women flocked around him as well. Matt knew he was married but Stefan hadn't discussed much about his wife or his children except as answers to questions Matt asked on the intake forms.

"Houston…has he arrived yet?"

Matt looked up and saw C.J. standing there. Clarissa gazed over at her.

"You must be C.J.," she said, "Matt has spoken of you."

C.J. took her hand.

"You're Clarissa, he told me about you too."

Clarissa smiled.

"You're a lucky woman," she said, "He's quite a find. We had a great time several years ago in Europe. He's a lot of fun."

"Yeah I enjoy him too," C.J. said, "Well, I'll leave you two to catch up."

She walked away and Matt's eyes followed her. He glanced over at Clarissa who sipped her champagne innocently.

"I don't think she liked me very much."

Matt rubbed his forehead.

"I told her about our relationship," he said.

"Oh well…that's perfectly fine because it's in the past after all," Clarissa said, "and we've both moved forward."

Matt looked at her.

"I did…it was after I left Germany and a couple of adventures later, when I realized what I wanted in my life…that what I'd been looking for was at home where I belonged."

She nodded.

"But she wasn't there, was she? She'd been kidnapped by then."

"And she'd escaped," Matt said, "I didn't have much to go on at first but I started looking."

"Of course, because you weren't going to stop until you found her," Clarissa said, "I get that Matt and you did find her."

Yes he had but when he did, their journey back to reclaiming their lives had only just begun. An ordeal that had lasted two years and still continued and likely would until at least they were able to put the criminal trial behind them. Still he knew there were parts of her which would always bear scars just like he had even years after being kidnapped as a young boy. But that didn't mean that life didn't have plenty to offer them.

"We're back together again and that's what counts."

She sipped her drink again.

"Yes that's what is important."

* * *

><p>C.J. had walked away from Matt and Clarissa needing suddenly to get some fresh air. She hadn't felt threatened by his past relationship with her in any way but something about the woman…she felt something tug inside of her and she didn't know why. After all, the young woman had been a stranger to her.<p>

The double doors opened out into a garden where plots of roses surrounded a fountain on three sides. Soft lighting splashed over the cascading water and as she approached, she saw that huge fish swam underneath the surface. She trailed her fingers in the warmish water and wished she were miles away from this party. Ever since her kidnapping, she hadn't enjoyed social galas in the same way, those where large numbers of people appeared and mingled, leaving her sometimes with a feeling of claustrophobia.

"Excuse me…"

She froze at the voice.

"I'm sorry if I startled you."

The voice sounded soft, with a hint of an accent. She envisioned the man it belonged to before she turned around to face him.

"It's C.J. Parsons isn't it?"

She looked at him then and saw a man she recognized from photos as Stefan Kostas. She looked at him, her heart suddenly beating rapidly in her chest. Oh she recognized that feeling. She'd feel lightheaded in a moment or two.

But the man just smiled at her, his posture looked relax and the way he filled out an Armani suit would please many a woman. But as she looked at him, up into his incredibly blue eyes and his face, with the hint of a beard she felt different emotions swimming inside of her. Her own body tensed up and she felt indecisive like a deer caught in a road.

"You're Stefan Kostas."

He nodded at her and extended his hand to greet her. She found his grip confident and strong. His hands…what was it about them? She looked at her own hand when he released it.

"Yes…I'm a client of Mr. Houston's."

"I know, he's told me so much about you," she said, trying to smile.

She needed to smile and she didn't know why. Why couldn't she feel more relaxed like he looked? He seemed like a nice man, certainly great looking, tall with an athletic build. But inside her, a knot formed that tightened, and twisted inside of her.

"Matt told me a little about you," Stefan said, "even back when we met several years ago in Germany."

She nodded.

"Yes he told me that's where he first saw you at the top of some mountain near the village."

"Yes, then we hung out a little bit, two men with more money than we know what to do with…and something about him struck me that when I needed to redesign a security system later I knew where to look."

She digested that her heart still racing. Nothing would calm it down; soon her arms and legs would start to tingle. She clenched her hands so she knew they weren't going numb.

"We should spend some time together," Stefan said, "you, I and Matt…go out to dinner perhaps. I'm going to be in Houston a little while."

C.J. studied him carefully because behind his relaxed exterior he certainly seemed to be analyzing her. She didn't know why but she felt closely watched and didn't like it. Of course, it could border on paranoia to believe that. His interest was in Matt and Dan and what their firm could do to enhance the security of his business, not in her.

Still, the way he looked at her…and when she felt her mind nagging at her, something about him, she tried to explore it for the reason and then she felt a fear inside of her so cold, so raw in its ferocity that it nearly made her faint.

Her blood rushed in her ears like a river, interrupted only by the beats of her heart. Oh god, was she going crazy?

He didn't seem to notice what was going on inside of her.

"So what did you do before you moved to Houston?"

Her mind locked just then because everyone knew what had happened to her, at least the basic information because the media had avidly covered many of the developments involving the apprehension and prosecution of those involved with the biggest human trafficking operation cracked wide open so far. He looked at her intently and she felt beads of perspiration break out on the back of her neck.

"I…worked in L.A. with Houston Enterprises and then the investigative firm."

He nodded.

"I heard you went through a most traumatic experience," he said, "You were kidnapped by that Andre Duval."

The name didn't spark intense fear inside of her as it had in the past but it still made her feel uncomfortable and the way it rolled off of his lips. She felt the fear well up from some place deep inside of her and she had to keep it there.

She couldn't let him see it. She knew that to be true but not why, so she bit down on her lip as she looked at him, squeezed her hands tightly at her side. He had to notice that, but she couldn't let him, she…

But instead he smiled.

"It's the traumas in life that shape us into the people we become," he said, "I can see that you came out of your own experience in darkness a stronger person, a very beautiful woman."

She felt frozen then when he said that, like she couldn't move. But her body wanted to bolt right out of the garden to someplace safe, someplace where the man in front of her could never find her.

But…but she didn't know him. He was the leader of his industry, a highly successful businessman, a husband and a father who kept his private life, private. What was it about him that stirred this reaction inside her?

"Excuse me…I need to get back inside…"

She still couldn't move, frozen she remained until a voice interrupted her. A voice she had clung to when she needed to weather a storm that threatened to sweep her away in its fury.

Matt had walked out into the garden and looked at the both of them.

"I see you've met…"

Stefan smiled.

"Yes we have…and she's a most charming, most lovely woman. I can understand why you felt the drive to settle down."

Matt nodded.

"We both lead very active, demanding professional lives," he said, "We're both trying to figure out how to balance that with our personal lives. You must know what that's like."

Stefan nodded.

"Yes I do…very much. It truly is a balancing act," he said, "I hope you two find it and don't get pulled apart by the demands of your work."

C.J. looked at Matt and then at Stefan. All she knew is that she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. So she forced a smile on her face.

"Excuse me, I want to see how Chris is doing with the caterers…"

"C.J. I'm sure everything's running smooth as silk," Matt said, "The guests are having a great time."

But she had already started walking away leaving the two men alone.


	20. Chapter 20

Matt couldn't figure it out. At some point, the woman that he lived with and loved so much had changed in the course of a dinner party.

She still looked stunning in her blue dress, she still mingled around the party talking with guests once she'd checked on Chris but she wasn't the same woman who had arrived.

The woman he had known for so long.

He talked to other guests, made appointments with a few prospective clients and ate some of the catered food and all during that time, he kept an eye on her. She'd catch him doing it a couple times and smile back at him but her eyes…what had happened?

While they drove home in silence afterward, he wondered about it. She sat next to him in the same car looking out the window into the darkness as they headed home but she felt a million miles away.

"C.J…"

He said just to break the silence between them but she didn't answer. She just continued looking out the window.

"Great party…"

She nodded then a little bit.

"Dan and I signed up several more clients."

She kept looking.

"That's…great."

Matt sighed.

"Stefan seemed to have a good time."

She turned around and looked at him.

"He seemed to make the rounds."

Matt turned onto their street.

"What'd you think of him," he said, "Did you like him?"

She just looked away again.

"I don't know him."

Matt heard a distinct chill in her voice and didn't know what to read into it.

"Maybe if we took him out to dinner…"

She shook her head suddenly.

"No…I don't think so."

That perplexed him as did the tone of her voice.

"Why…what did he do or say something to you?"

"No…I just…"

She couldn't explain it to him but as soon as she had met Stefan, she had just wanted to get out of the garden as fast as she could run. Only now, a part of her wondered if she had gotten far enough away…and she couldn't explain it. He was the top client for Dan and Matt and his business had been instrumental in building up the firm's reputation in the security business. But why…no she didn't want to think about it.

"You just what…?"

At that point, they had reached their house and Matt pulled in the driveway where they parked.

"What's going on here?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"Nothing…we'd better get out of the car…it's late."

She left the car first and headed towards the house and he sat and watched her for a moment before he got out and followed her.

* * *

><p>Clarissa turned around to face Stefan inside his hotel suite. They had just returned from the party and he had calmly poured himself a nightcap before he'd sit in the spa for a while before heading to bed. She had followed him up to the suite because she couldn't figure out why they had left the party with their quarry still alive.<p>

"So why didn't you do it," she said, "One simple injection is what you said."

Stefan sipped his drink.

"She doesn't know who I am."

Clarissa went to the wet bar to dress up some vodka in a glass.

"How do you know that?"

"I just know…I spent time with her in the garden, introduced myself and she had no reaction to any of it."

Clarissa sighed.

"She's worked with Matt in his investigation firm and that means she's done undercover," she said, "How do you know she's not trying to trick you by hiding it?"

Stefan lifted a brow clearly thinking that had been a possibility.

"If that's the case, she'll show her cards before long," he said, "but I need more time with her to be sure. She's too high profile to take out so I want to be damn sure."

Clarissa sipped her drink.

"I've never seen you hesitate like this before."

That irked him.

"Sasha I know what I'm doing," he said, "As soon as I see any sign she knows who I am, I will make sure that knowledge dies with her."

She looked at him pointedly.

"First, I'm Clarissa now, that's what you told me," she said, "and second, I don't think we should take any chances. She needs to die before she remembers enough to incriminate you and the rest of us with Andre's operation."

"I know the stakes here and I know what I'm doing," he said, "I've been doing this much longer than you. I trained you."

She demurred to that but she still pressed him.

"Are you sure you didn't hesitate because you feel something for her?"

Stefan reacted by slamming his glass down.

"I feel nothing for her," he said, "She's a piece of property to me that I paid for and that would be in my possession if the guy I sent to pick her up hadn't botched the job."

Clarissa sighed.

"At least no one can trace him back to you," she said, "Your operative in the Marshal's office made sure of that."

But that contact had told him that she had shot his courier to death after he'd already been stabbed probably by C.J. after he had tried to exact a bonus out of her for collection. If he had brought her safely to him first, Stefan would have been more than happy to lease her out to him later after he had finished preparing her for what he had planned.

But the guy had no patience and he paid the price for it.

Clarissa still looked at him uncertainly.

"You will have to make a decision one way or another," she said, "before we head back to Europe. She lives or she dies and if I had it my way, she'd be in a coroner's van right now."

Stefan gritted his teeth.

"It's not your call and when I make my decision, the action I take will be very decisive and it will be final."

* * *

><p>C.J. found herself in a different room, a bedroom that looked more like a suite at a hotel than the room where she stayed as Andre's prisoner. But her eyes wouldn't focus, and the objects around her were just shapes. She looked down at what she had been wearing, a black peignoir, short and trimmed with lace. Confusion clouded her mind because just a moment ago…<p>

She had been talking to the girl called Elena after eating what had been served to her. Now, she didn't know where she was and what would happen. Her body trembled and her mouth felt cottony. She needed some water but there was none she could see. A woman's voice which sounded older filled her ears but she couldn't see its source.

"Mr. Duval has something special planned tonight," she said, "so it's important that you cooperate. You do know the consequences if you don't."

She dimly remembered the photos he had shown her after that first night. And after she had seen them, and he told her, she had stopped fighting him. At least physically but her mind, she closed off from Duval.

She sensed that she'd be doing that tonight but when the door opened, she turned to look and saw that the game plan he had set for her had changed.

She woke up with a start, her heart beating rapidly in her chest and her breath harsh in the quietness of the bedroom she shared with Matt. Oh god…where was she…she had to get away…then everything came into focus around her and she remembered her place.

After sinking back on the bed, she couldn't stop herself from trembling as the fragments of what had forced her awake threatened to ebb away. She breathed in relief having no desire to remember her dreams. She had talked about them to Diana her therapist to try to figure out their hold on her but this dream…it hadn't been like any of the others. She had been in some suite and when the door opened…she hadn't seen what she expected.

But what…what had happened that left her drenched in several thousand miles away a couple years later? She tried to keep herself still as her body slowly settled down because she didn't want to wake up Matt. He had spent so many nights holding her in his arms whispering soothingly to her so she could return to sleep. She had thought she had finally moved past that phase in her life but this dream…it felt even worse the coldness inside of her that still remained the stark pain in her chest caused by intense fear.

Closing her eyes didn't help and sleep certainly wasn't coming. She saw Matt still asleep, a sheet tucked around his waist. They had both been exhausted by the time they had gotten home that they had fallen asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Her heart still beat in her chest and she wanted so badly for the man next to her to hold her close, so she could listen to his own rhythm with her head on his chest but he looked so peaceful sleeping there.

So she bore out the night alone.

* * *

><p>Matt and Dan met in the conference room to discuss the gala the night before, with their staff. After waking up that morning, he had noticed the space next to him had been empty so that meant that C.J. had already gotten up. He got out of bed to find his running clothes for his morning exercise and then headed to get some juice and a power bar in the kitchen. C.J. had been sitting in a chair eating some oatmeal and drinking coffee but looked up when she saw him.<p>

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

He nodded.

"I must have been more tired than I thought," he said, "I was out like a light."

She sipped her coffee.

"Me too…hey I'm going to be busy all day so I might be home a bit later tonight," she said, "I have to talk to Simon about one of his cases."

Matt smiled.

"You sure you're going to stick with words with him," he said, "I thought you were going to deck him last time."

She sighed.

"I sure felt like it," she said, "the guy can be such a jackass sometimes. But I need his help on this one so I've got to be on his good side."

That perked his interest.

"What's it about?"

She frowned.

"I'm not sure," she said, "he called and said they found a woman and that I might be interested in sitting in on her interview."

"He invited you to do what?"

"I know…I'm as shocked as you frankly," she said, "but maybe he does need my help for a change and he's peaked my interest with his request."

Matt walked over to massage her back.

"Well don't make it too easy for him then," he said, "but just enough so you can get some useful information."

She nodded, eating her oatmeal.

"I'll try my best," she said, knowing she was in for an interesting time with the FBI agent.

She tried to focus on that pushing everything else including her nightmare out of her head but the emotions remained with her.


	21. Chapter 21

C. J. sat in the office and stared at Simon who had updated her on the woman who had turned up battered and bruised at a public health clinic. She hadn't said very much about what had happened to her or where she had been before she turned up. But she'd had a tattoo on her shoulder that had attracted attention.

She knew without asking that it had been that of a jaguar like the one she had burned into her own skin. That had tied her to other women who had been found dead in several European countries and a woman more recently discovered back east.

But unlike the others, this woman had survived.

She had been left with serious injuries including signs that someone had tried to strangle her, leaving her neck bruised and the hyoid bone nearly fractured. And not much in the way of being able to communicate because of the swelling in her larynx.

"They're trying to find some way to help her tell provide her account without speaking," he explained, "but she's still being sedated."

"She's probably not in any shape to talk and won't be for a while."

Simon didn't argue with her and that surprised her. But they both knew what this meant, because the other women had been discovered further away.

"She wouldn't have that mark on her unless she was his property," he said.

C.J. bristled at his choice of words but they were accurate. Simon just stuck to what he believed to be accurate, factual, not concerned how people around him felt about what he said. She respected him for that even as she disliked him.

"She's not property, she's a person."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair which squeaked from the movement.

"She's a whore."

She gave him a steely look.

"Not by choice…because if you're going to label people that way, then so am I."

That shut him up and she continued to look at the few documents they had in the Jane Doe's file. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes that looked out from the swelling around both of her eyes. She had the broken vessels in her face, often found after strangulation but something had stopped her from dying. Maybe the killer had been interrupted or maybe he had believed her to be dead when he dumped her.

But Simon was right; she had been one of the sex slaves held by the Jaguar if she bore that mark.

C.J. hadn't worn hers long enough to see what it'd look like after it had healed. Hers had gotten infected not long after the branding and it had been largely abraded to save her life. After it had been documented as evidence for the current criminal proceedings, she had it erased further and then replaced by a tattoo.

She looked young in her photos but the Jaguar had taken a special interest in younger women. He had his eyes on Elena to acquire for his own but Andre had vetoed that because she had been his half sister as it turned out and had offered up C.J. instead.

But the Jaguar had never collected her though he might still be poised to do just that. She could never feel entirely safe anywhere as long as he lurked underground. She sensed that he had killed these women or had men in his employment that did it for him. Perhaps to hide his own tracks since he'd gone underground? If so, that might mean he planned to resurface at some point.

And probably in a different guise than he had used before he went into hiding and if so, that meant he could be hiding in plain sight. That sent more than a few chills through her because if that were the case, then he could show up from a number of different corners.

"Will you talk to her?"

She blinked her eyes because she thought she might be sitting in on any interviews not leading them.

"Why are you asking me to do that?"

He just looked at her.

"Because with your perspective, you might be better at getting answers out of her," Simon said, "and we need those answers if we're going to find out where this Jaguar guy is hiding."

She took a deep breath and exhaled it carefully.

"Okay I guess that's your way of saying that you need my help."

He grunted which would be his terms of agreement. But when he leaned closer to her, his eyes were somber.

"Come on, we both know this is way beyond the capabilities of Houston PD to handle," he said, "this is international in scope."

She agreed with that assessment because they had all been down in the Caribbean not too long ago while the feds and military of several countries had crashed Andre's party and busted up several different trafficking operations.

But that had left that of the Jaguar unscathed and maybe this woman could help them find him.

* * *

><p>Matt sat back finishing his lunch that they had ordered delivery so that he and Dan could work on the final changes to be done on a security program designed for the homes of one of the Texan senators. It'd gone pretty well but after that, they had to look at the schematics for a security system for an oil tycoon who had received threats. He'd been spending a lot of time at the office lately which meant he missed doing field work but then again, he wouldn't trade anything to increase the time that he and C.J. spent in the same place.<p>

With one or the other traveling often at different times, it had been great for them to spend time together. They hadn't done enough of that even though they'd meant to do it after getting back from Colorado. He had started his new work and moved in with her.

"So what did C.J. think of the party last night?"  
>Matt paused not sure how to answer that question. She had seemed to really enjoy herself but by the time they had headed on home, she had grown more distant and since then…this morning she had seemed quieter. But then she had a lot on her mind with Simon asking her to help them with a case.<p>

"She had a good time."

Dan jotted some notes on one of the schematic maps.

"What'd she think of Mr. Kostas?"

Matt rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know…I got the sense that she didn't like him," he said, "but she didn't say anything about it."

Dan frowned.

"What makes you say that?"

Matt sighed.

"I came across them in the garden and she left abruptly," he said, "She hedged when I asked her lately what she thought about him."

Dan shrugged.

"She just met him," he said, "Maybe if you hosted him for dinner."

"I suggested that," Matt said, "and she vetoed it flat."

"Maybe you need to talk to her," Dan said, "Find out how they got off on the wrong foot."

Matt sipped his iced tea.

"I'm not sure that's what it's about," he said, "It's almost as if she knew him."

Dan leaned back in his chair.

"But if she did, wouldn't she tell you?"

Matt knew that would be the case because there would be no reason not to say something, not that he could see anyway.

"Yeah but there's some reason why she's not willing to spend time with him," he said, "She knows he's an important client to this firm so there has to be something going on."

"You can ask her," Dan said, "and get to the bottom of it."

"Get to the bottom of what?"

They both looked up and saw Chris walking into the room, her hand resting on her abdomen. She wasn't due for a couple of months but she had grown noticeably in the past several weeks. Matt couldn't be happier for her and Dan knowing it hadn't been an easy road for them.

Dan looked at Matt and he just rubbed his hands together before setting them down.

"What did you think of Mr. Kostas?"

Chris furrowed her brows but answered anyway.

"I thought he seemed cordial, friendly," she said, "if a little reserved but maybe that's customary where he lives."

Matt digested that.

"You didn't see anything else?"

She collapsed onto a chair.

"He seemed interested in C.J.," she said, "When I talked to him, he asked me a couple of questions about her and her work."

That piqued Matt's interest but then again it didn't seem that unusual. Maybe he had just been making polite conversation.

"What kind of questions?"

Chris tried to think.

"Oh just about her work with the feds," she said, "and whether she had been consulting on any particular cases."

Now that sounded a bit odd to Matt…if Stefan were a businessman working in pharmaceuticals, why would he be so interested in what the feds were doing? Maybe it had to do with regulation of his company's work product. But something nagged at him anyway.

"He did say he was amazed that she could go through what she did and be able to have such a good attitude."

Matt figured that Stefan must have gotten the same information on her experience that had been covered by the media in the past couple of years. But he had to figure out why C.J. hadn't warmed to the guy and if she weren't even willing to let him see it, he didn't know if she'd tell him.

* * *

><p>C.J. left Simon thinking about the woman lying sedated in the hospital where she had been taken from the clinic for further treatment. She would be guarded by police officers until the federal agencies could take over. They knew that there had to be some connection between her and the dead women found on two continents an ocean apart. If the woman's larynx had been permanently damaged from the near fatal strangulation then she might never be able to speak to them. They would have to rely on other forms of communication and the investigators were working on that part.<p>

But she didn't know how she felt about being asked to do the interviewing. When she had looked at the photos, at the bruised face, the eyes that had seen too much, she felt the horror of what she must have been through with the Jaguar.

C.J. didn't have any memories of him herself. She didn't even know if she'd spent much time with him. Andre had hinted that she had but he might have just been taunting her as part of his psychological torture. But from what she had discovered, even a trafficker like Andre paled next to the Jaguar.

A message from Matt had been on her cell phone to meet up for dinner but she had a ton of paperwork to do waiting for her at her own office. Kyra had called her earlier saying that two other DOJ files had come in that needed her review. So she'd be burning the midnight oil and it might be better just to do it there than to bring it home with her. But as she headed back to her office, she couldn't get her mind off the photos of Jane Doe looking straight out at her from some place that must be close to Hell.


	22. Chapter 22

It had been one of the worst fights they had ever had during all the years they had known each other. But she had just had enough, and she knew if she didn't tell him that, she might lose him forever anyway.

To something much worse than a friendship broken by a misunderstanding, because she saw him every day sinking even deeper into his quagmire of grief intertwined with guilt over losing his cousin. So she let him have it.

"I can't do this anymore Houston," she said, "I can't watch you self-destruct over what you can't change. No one can change what happened and no one can bring Will back."

He just glared at her taking another swig of his drink. She noticed the dark shadow on his face and the circles under his eyes.

"Okay if you don't want to watch, you can just walk out of here," he said, "I never asked you to hang out here with you anyway."

She folded her arms, ignoring him for just a moment.

"Your daddy is so worried about you," he said, "Can't you see what this is doing to him?"

He just took another swig.

"Then you can run along and tell him I'm doing just fine."

She sighed, her stubbornness not allowing her to do what she should do which is just walk on out of there and out on him.

"Why don't you tell him yourself?"

"I'm busy…"

She threw up her arms.

"Oh yeah I can see that," she said, "You know you're not the only one who's hurting over this. Your uncle is trying to hold your whole family together and it's his son and what about Flo? She's not even been out of the house…"

Matt just kept drinking and she knew that it wasn't just grief driving him but something harder to live with.

"There's nothing I can do for them," he said, "they get that why can't you?"

That set her blood boiling even more and seeing that bottle in his hand, knowing that when it emptied, another would replace it. The Matt she knew had never been a big drinker but she didn't know the man in front of her.

"I can't bring him back like I promised."

Sadness laced his voice then and she found herself softening.

"You couldn't keep your promise," she said, "You were busy keeping yourself alive and there's nothing wrong with that."

He put his head in his hands but she knew that he heard her.

"Bad things happen Houston," she said, "and we can't stop them no matter how much we want or we wish that everything was different…that we didn't have to make the choices that we did…but sometimes there's just no other choice…"

For a moment, he looked up at her and she thought she reached him but he sighed and just started drinking again tuning her out.

"I had a choice," he said, "and I made the wrong one."

She knew what he was talking about and she wanted to go over and shake some sense into him before she wrapped her arms around him to hold him close. But she knew if she did that, he'd just push her away.

So she'd left him alone with his last bottle of whisky.

She thought back later to those times. Matt had ultimately lifted himself out of that state, not long after that. He had dropped by where she had been living in between going to Harvard School of Law and they had started talking. He had put the liquor away, actually shaved and they had gone out to brunch together.

And talked for hours under their favorite cluster of trees after that…and after he had emptied himself of most of his pain, he had asked her a question. What she had meant when she talked about choices. She could have told him then about what had happened with her, Scott and Julia and her on and off boyfriend Jonathan. But she didn't, she just felt that her silence, their silence is what she needed to feel protected. She felt if she invoked the name of the man who had terrorized them all that night back in Boston, he'd return from the shadows.

But during that conversation she had asked Matt to teach her defense tactical skills, so she could protect herself or at least feel less helpless. When he asked why, she just said that she spent many late nights at the law library and wanted to feel safer.

So he had run her pretty ragged training her and she had felt better. But when Andre did return in her life, she found out how easy it had been for him to kidnap her and keep her captive for over a month. Her skills hadn't allowed her to last very long in his company before he raped her. She realized they wouldn't protect her from everything but she still spent time each day honing her skills anyway.

Like she'd been doing this morning with the sparring bag, giving it everything she had until her muscles rebelled. She put much more into her training than just her muscles though. It had proven to be a good outlet for her frustrations and her fears and Diana told her there was nothing wrong with that. And knowing that the Jaguar lurked out there even though she didn't know his face…she needed to feel safer. She certainly wasn't going to allow herself to get snatched off the street again. Every time she walked to and from her car, she kept her eyes peeled all around her for any possible threats to her safety. The first time they had gotten her in that garage back in L.A. she had been focused elsewhere until it had been too late.

She looked up from her bag, peeled off her gloves and then looked over to see Clarissa drinking by the juice bar. The other woman also saw her and smiled.

"Hey that's some pretty good sparring you just did."

C.J. approached her.

"You kick box?"

Clarissa nodded, though today she was dressed in gear which told C.J. she had been on the rappelling wall.

"I find that being able to handle myself in any situation even in a dark alley enhances the rest of my life," she said, "and a woman can never be too careful."

C.J. couldn't argue with that.

"It doesn't stop everything bad from happening," she said, "but it does come in handy."

Clarissa smiled.

"I'll buy you a smoothie and we can go compare notes on defensive skills."

C.J. considered it, and nodded. So she got a smoothie and joined her by a table in the corner.

"I didn't have much chance to talk to you at the party," Clarissa said, "which was very impressive by the way."

C.J. nodded.

"Your boss like it?"

Clarissa smiled and sipped her drink.

"Very much…in fact he wants to spend more time with Matt and his partner while he's here," she said, "and also with you."

C.J. felt the back of her neck prickle at that and beads of sweat break out. She didn't know why, maybe from the intense workout she had given herself.

"I'm...I'm pretty busy these days."

"I can imagine but you must have some free time to relax," she said, "The four of us can go out for drinks."

"I don't know," she said, "I work pretty late nights some nights…like tonight."

"Does Matt have any problem with that?"

C.J. felt taken aback at the woman's candor. She knew that she and Matt had a fling during his sabbatical but he had mentioned something about her being engaged though at least today she didn't have a ring on. But then again, maybe she removed her jewelry when she went rappelling.

"No, he's busy too," she said, "We support each other's careers and we know at least earlier on, it takes a lot of work and sacrifice to be successful."

Clarissa chuckled.

"I find that never stops even when you are a success."

C.J. nodded.

"Oh, well Mr. Kostas rose to the top of his industry pretty quickly but I know what you mean."

"He really wants Matt to be a success in his venture," he said, "and he admires the work that you do."

Did he, C.J. wondered. How much about it did he really know?

"I understand it was your experience with Mr. Duval that got you into that field."

C.J. rubbed her forehead.

"That must have been terrifying," Clarissa said, "to be his prisoner. From what I read, he was an evil man."

"Yes he was…but he's dead and he can't hurt anyone else."

Clarissa sipped.

"Ah yes, what a relief for all of us," she said, "I'd like to toast to that."

* * *

><p>Matt sat back in his office and read the text that he had received from C.J. that she'd be working late that night. And when he had called her later, she hadn't had much time to talk but told him that the meeting with Simon had ended unexpectedly with him asking her to lead the questioning of the mystery woman.<p>

He knew she had the skills to do that and the background to give her perspective that the feds didn't have but he also knew she still carried deep scars from that time in her life. She used what she had gone through to get the answers that others couldn't but the process exacted its toll on her.

Stefan had also called him asking him if he and C.J. wanted to go out for drinks tomorrow night. Matt hadn't accepted but said he'd talk to her about it and after hanging up, he had been brought back to her behavior the night before after the party. She had gotten very quiet, the distance between them noticeable. This morning she had been pleasant yet on some level she seemed elsewhere. Maybe she had been preoccupied by the discovery of that woman at the clinic. It bore similarities to the recoveries of many dead women who had died at a new killer's hand. If it turned out, the woman was linked to the others, it meant that the killer had come to Houston.

Well at least this woman had survived so they could glean information from her about the killer. But if the killer had come to Houston, why did he or she do that? If the women had been property of the Jaguar then did that mean that he was here too? He had to find out because if that were the case…

He closed his eyes. No, he would keep her safe from him and anyone else who came after her. He wasn't losing her again and she wasn't going to relive any nightmares. It had taken over a year for her to stop waking at night with them.

No, no one was going to hurt her ever again, not if he had anything to say about it.

* * *

><p>Stefan got off the phone with one of his customers. Not one from his newer business, his cover but the one he had walked away from. He had to explain to one of the brothel owners that there would be no more women procured and shipped to him for the unforeseen future and to stop bothering him. The trafficking industry had settled down after the huge ripples created by the breaking up of Andre's corner of it but both he and Lucian had gone underground and would stay there. That meant the tap that supplied the brothels and other outlets for sexual commerce would be turned off for a while. He had his business to conduct here to ensure that he wouldn't be exposed. But the woman he had talked to at the party appeared to have no memory of him…she had been just as beautiful as he remembered when he saw her. She was to have been his to add to his collection if not for the timing of the feds bust in Sapphire Island.<p>

But he would remedy that situation and soon. He had invited her and Matt out for drinks tomorrow and by the end of that evening, he would learn everything he needed to know to make his next move.


	23. Chapter 23

Matt looked over at the woman asleep next to him, her hair spread out over the pillow. They had been watching a movie in the living room after finishing dinner and then he had kissed her during a break in the action on screen and some kissing had led to some touching and before either knew it, they were heading to the bedroom.

He sighed reveling in how much he enjoyed that particular activity with her, he loved those deep slow kisses that shook every fiber inside him and the silky feel of her skin beneath his fingers. And when they made love, it gave him the opportunity to learn something brand new about the woman he had grown up with and known most of his life. Because it had never been the same experience twice, he thought as he came back to earth with their arms woven tightly around each other.

She curled against him, her own breathing resuming its more restive pattern. He stroked her waist and kissed the crown of her head.

A few months ago, she didn't think they'd ever find their way together, to navigate through the passionate side of a romantic relationship. She had been deeply scarred by what Andre had done to her but she didn't just love Matt, she trusted him. It had taken baby steps to get to this point but they'd taken them together. It had taken baby steps to get to this point but they'd taken them together.

Still, Matt hadn't entirely let go at his anger at the man that had abducted her. He hadn't been there to stop it because he'd been busy finding his own way around the world somewhere.

He'd been on some island somewhere off the coast of Mexico crewing on a sailing boat when she'd been kidnapped from the parking garage. He'd been at a celebratory party with new friends after their boat had won a regatta the night that Andre had raped her the first time. He always thought that nothing so bad could happen to her without him on some level being aware of it, as if the ripples sent out by her traumatic experiences would reach him.

But he hadn't known anything had happened until he returned home and so much had happened to her during his time away.

Including Andre's decision to hand her off to the Jaguar as if she were property and it was a business exchange. He closed his eyes in thanks that at least she had been spared that from happening by her escape, first when she'd first been held captive and then later when the authorities raided Andre's compound on Sapphire Island.

Andre had been killed by his head of security, Antonio who had switched allegiances so many times, it made Matt's head spin but in the end, he had ridded the world of one of its most notorious criminals and saved C.J.'s life. But Matt wanted so much sometimes each time he had watched her struggle with a nightmare, or a flashback or when she had believed that she'd been broken beyond repair, to squeeze the life out of Andre himself. Because even though he'd been dead for nearly two years, Andre still had the capacity to hurt her.

She stirred in her sleep next to him and he thought ahead to the huge trial that lay ahead against a group of mid-level traffickers and his ex-college buddy Scott Prescow, who had in some ways proved to be more evil than Andre. He had been given protection in exchange for his testimony but he'd fired his attorney and insisted on a trial to prove his innocence and claim entrapment by the feds.

But Matt knew the truth, that his ex-friend had resented his friendship with C.J. to the point of hatred especially because Scott's girlfriend, Julia had been a close friend of hers.

And then after Scott had fallen in with Andre way back in Boston, he had tried to betray him by stealing a crucial disk. Andre and his lieutenants held C.J., Julia and Jonathan hostage in return for what Scott had stolen. Matt remembered the decision that C.J. had made to try to save her friends, the one that sealed her own fate years later.

Andre had been consumed by his need to possess her for years until he'd made his move. He had died still believing he owned her.

He wondered how difficult the trial would be for C.J. especially the grueling and painful testimony she would provide on her experience as one of the main witnesses for the federal prosecution.

The thought made him tighten his hold on her as he settled in for the night.

C.J. looked around her as she lay bruised and battered on the floor. Andre had just left her within minutes of his arrival. When she had seen the door open and him enter, she had trembled but tried to hide it. He had walked up to her and caressed the hair off of her face almost gently as he said words she couldn't remember. The rush of her own blood through her ears had drowned out the sounds.

She could just hear her own heartbeat.

But soon enough, he had grabbed her body and her hair, pulling her head back and forced her towards the wall and after using his hands to slide her negligee up, and his body to stifle her movements, he raped her. Her mind had floated away from her as he pushed against her hard enough to bruise. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. If she waited, it would be over soon.

She didn't feel anything and when he'd finished, she just sunk on the floor where he left her after zipping his pants. Curling into a ball didn't work, she felt too stunned to move. She always did after he left her and she felt her heart pound in her chest, the stinging of the abrasions, the stickiness of him which made her squeeze her eyes shut tighter.

A tune came inside her head just then and she wordlessly hummed it, something she had picked up on a cattle drive from one of the ranch hands she had known most of her life. Lamar? She focused on that ignoring everything else around her.

So at first she hadn't heard the door opened and when the hard click of footsteps finally reached her ears, she looked up and her eyes widened.

In front of her stood another man who when he saw her eying him, smiled though it didn't reach his eyes. He was dressed in black, and his clothes sheathed a muscular physique. Moving quickly, he reminded her of a cat and something in his blue eyes, appeared predatory.

She swallowed her throat suddenly dry as she tried to maneuver herself up. He moved to squat beside her. His touch felt firm but gentle and he looked at her without revealing much.

"Here, let me help you up…"

C.J. began to squirm in his embrace and he heard her trying to say something, and when he tightened his embrace around her in reassurance, her body became rigid and her movements more powerful. She tried to pull away from him and her agitation increased.

"Hey C.J…"

He tried to speak softly so she might hear him without completely waking up, as she often did during other nightmares. She struggled even more which caused him to loosen his grip.

"No….no…get away…."

Matt tried to stroke her brow which had dampened from perspiration and rather than calm her, it seemed to upset her. He finally released her and she jumped up, her eyes flying open gazing around in shock, and what he read as intense fear.

"Let go of me…"

"Hey it's me…Houston," he said, "You're having a nightmare."

Those words finally seemed to reach her and her movements slowed and she turned to look at him, her eyes searching. He reached out to gently stroke the damp tendrils of hair off of her as she sat there, her eyes fixed.

"What…oh god, I…."

She seemed to be relaxing a bit and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She didn't fight him and rested her head against his chest while he stroked her back.

"What is it C.J…is it Andre?"

She shook her head against him.

"No…god, it started with him…he was…but it was someone else…someone else came in the room and…"

She shivered in his embrace, like a sudden chill had just seized her.

"I don't know…"

He made a soothing sound.

"It's okay…Let's lie back down here and you can try to get back to sleep okay?"

She nodded and they did that, and she did relax, as she often did in his embrace but concern filled him because it had been the first nightmare, at least the first he'd known about in a while.

Soon her breathing became more regular because the ferocity of the nightmares seemed to wipe her out afterward. And Matt wondered about the other person in her dream, not remembering any time she had mentioned someone like that. Most of her nightmares had centered on Andre even after his death.

He sensed a shift inside of her but didn't know what to make of it.

* * *

><p>Stefan had handcuffed this woman before he had forced her on his knees in front of him to unzip his pants and relieve his tension as he called it. Sasha had shaken her head when he had said that he wanted a girl delivered to his suite. It hadn't been lost on her that some of the women who had been with him wound up dead, but she hadn't said anything to him about it. Sasha was an expert on decorum after all and he relied on her ability to be discreet with her information.<p>

But Stefan hadn't gotten as far as he had by trusting people including those closest to him. Actually, especially those closest to him…and Sasha, he had information on her that would guarantee her silence and her loyalty to him. Not that she had ever forced his hand, another thing he liked about her.

This woman, a blond with an angular figure would simply be shipped back to a brothel because she had been on loan. Though if she knew which one, she might choose to jump from the suite balcony herself…the Brazilian syndicate was known for its sadism after all.

He thought about seeing her again at the party, dressed in a blue dress that flattered a figure that could have made him a ton of cash. But life had other plans and had left him with the unenviable task of covering his tracks. Lest, he wind up like Andre and his inner circle. He had warned him time and time again of flaws in his operational strategy such as trusting an imbecile like Scott Prescow who had cracked under the lightest touch of the feds. He had considered doing Andre one last favor and hiring a hit man to silence Scott before he could sing at the trial but hadn't yet decided.

He had an image of an impeccable CEO of a major conglomerate to maintain and he had to plan and execute his moves carefully.

But he would remain in Houston long enough to take care of the loose end who had looked so beautiful at the party. Yes, he couldn't leave that undone because one loose thread with the right kind of gentle tug could unravel all of his future plans.


	24. Chapter 24

C.J. picked at her breakfast the next morning and Matt knew that it had something to do with the nightmare that woke her earlier. But he didn't ask he knew if he did, she'd brush it off and move to a different topic. So he sat next to her and sipping his coffee he just asked about what was on tap for today.

"Oh just a pile of paperwork on a couple of cases," she said, "and an interview for a professional journal that I've already rescheduled twice."

"Been busy?"

She sighed, finishing her eggs finally.

"That's part of the reason," she said, "I just don't know what I can tell them about being a slave. I was only held captive a brief time. Some of these women are forced into it for years…or their whole lives."

He heard the frustration in her voice at the ugliness in the world including that she had experienced firsthand and wanting to fix it all, so that women didn't have to continue to be victimized. But it was a global issue, too much to take on for one woman.

"It's so overwhelming sometimes."

Matt looked at her, dressed in more casual jeans and a red sweater. Once she got up and rinsed her dishes in the sink, she'd be out the door in ten minutes. Out to do her part to make the world a better place for women. She had this energy inside of her that drove her through the mounds of bureaucracy and frustration on the cases that she had taken on. She had ruffled the feathers of more than a few federal employees but she had gained their respect. Even among Simon who must think an awful lot of her professional acumen to ask her to interview the latest Jane Doe.

The one that Matt knew was connected to the elusive Jaguar. But he knew that C.J. was more than up to it and that if anyone could get the answers needed involving the mysterious woman and what had happened to her, it was her.

But he worried about her too because if the Jaguar was targeting women for death who bore his mark meaning they'd been his slaves, then she might be on the list of targets. They had always been looking over their shoulders for him, in fact earlier on C.J. had nearly ran away from her life including him because she hadn't wanted to put those she loved into danger. In case, the Jaguar went after them to get at her. But so far he hadn't made a move against her but meanwhile other women associated to him and his far reaching trafficking operation had started showing up dead.

That's what scared him, that and the fact that the killer had no face, or maybe he did, but it was a mask. But he knew he'd fare better with her if he stuck with the topic at hand.

"C.J. you're doing an awful lot to change things," he said, "but you have to cut yourself a break."

She folded her arms and just looked at him.

"I want to do more," she said, "I feel like I could do much more."

The fire inside of her was so prevalent in her voice, her work had grabbed at her like few things had in her life which said a lot considering how she embraced her life.

"Then take it a little bit at a time," he said, "you've got so much going on…"

She sighed.

"I know but I can handle it really," she said, "and life is so damn short, you have to do what you can to make it count."

He heard the urgency in her voice and understood it. Often he felt as if he could do much more than he'd done but in life, you had to strike a balance. But if she put all of her energy into it, she'd wear herself out.

"I can't argue with that, but I think you need to make sure you don't let it take over your life."

As soon as he saw her expression change, he realized he could have worded it better. She threw him an immediate sharp look.

"Oh like you've never put everything you had into one of your cases," she said, "We both know the answer to that."

"C.J…"

"And you're out of town on business as much as I am," she said, "so maybe you should think about that before you say I'm too centered on what I do."

He sighed, knowing he hadn't really said anything like that but realizing that sometimes her new career rubbed her raw and when she had restless nights like last night, it didn't help.

"I know…it's been a lot for both of us and we've spent so little of that time in the same place," he said, "and I miss you when I'm gone so I'm going to tell Dan no more field trips for a while."

She relented.

"Houston, you don't have to do that," she said, "You're a guy who doesn't like being tied to an office. You need your time out doing field work. I'd never take that away from you."

He nodded realizing that but something had to change because moments like this were too far, two few. He loved his career, loved helping Dan push his firm in a new and exciting direction but he loved the woman in front of him so much more. His future was with her and he wanted to spend less and less of it away from her. But between his field work and having to fly back to L.A. to deal with his investigative firm, he didn't know when that would change.

But they had a future to plan though sometimes she seemed reticent to plan too far ahead because of the upcoming trial. He knew it loomed large for her and that all the preparations she took for her time on the witness stand reinforced that for her.

"You're not taking away anything," he said, "I just don't want you to feel overwhelmed by everything."

She sipped her coffee.

"There's nothing you can do about that Houston," she said, "It's a lot for the next six months or so but hopefully it'll settle down after that."

Maybe…but then again how many times had the trial been postponed already? Already there were stirrings from Scott's attorney that they might be doing that again which just made Matt wanted to strangle the guy. The only reason the lawyer was still alive and in custody was because his path hadn't crossed that of Matt's once Matt and C.J. had taken off to the Caribbean. Otherwise, he felt pretty sure that he would have killed him.

But as it turned out, no one had been able to accomplish that including Andre's own men so he was locked up in solitary in protective custody until his trial date. Then he'd see if he'd wind up doing more than the 10 years which had been in his original plea arrangement.

"I want it over with too," she said, "I want to wake up one morning and know that I'd already testified."

He reached out to stroke her face.

"That morning's going to come C.J.," he said, "and they'll all be locked up for the rest of their lives."

She nodded, liking that scenario just fine but knowing that it remained to be seen what the outcome of the complicated trial would be and a lot of it did rest on her testimony. But when she thought about the two or three days on the witness stand ahead of her with most of it being under cross-examination by the different attorneys, her stomach clenched and she felt sick. Still it lay between her and hopefully her freedom to live her life with him.

He watched the emotions play out on her face and then decided to broach a new subject, actually a very familiar one.

"C.J…that nightmare you had last night…"

He thought she might cut him off with a look. She hated talking about them because she thought it made her seem weak that she couldn't force herself to stop having them. Diana had told her they might return or even intensify before the trial date and that was normal, not a setback but that eventually they'd fade into the background of her life until they left her. She'd been given strategies to deal with her nightmares and many times they worked

But others…she just sipped her coffee slowly not answering.

"C.J…"

She sighed looking up at him.

"What's there to say about it Houston," she said, "I've had so many of them, it's just one more and as soon as I wake up, it's gone."

Matt tried to read her then but she just arched her brows.

"It was the same as the others except…'

"Except what…?"

She took a deep breath.

"It wasn't about Andre, except the first part," she said, "He was there and then he left me."

Matt swallowed hard as she pushed the emotion out of her voice.

"Okay so what happened?"

She paused.

"There was someone else there who came in the room after Andre left," she said, "I was lying on the floor and he bent down to talk to me. But I don't remember what he said."

"Who was he?"

She shook her head.

"I have no idea Houston," she said, "I just know he wasn't there to help me."

The ragged tone of her voice then led him to get up and pull her up on her feet to hold her close against him. She leaned her head against his chest while he stroked her back. He knew that the dream had shaken her up more than she'd admit, he could feel it while he held onto her.

She pushed away from him and gazed into his face.

"Really I'm fine," she said, "I'd better be going but…thanks…"

He brushed some hair off of her face before kissing her softly on the mouth.

"Anytime..."

They gazed at each other until finally she took a deep breath and smiled.

"I'll see you later…"

"Remember we've got drinks with Stefan and Clarissa."

Her face changed suddenly and her eyes clouded but she covered it up with a smile.

"Okay…at Marlena's right?"

He nodded and then studied her carefully.

"C.J. are you sure you're up to this?"

She nodded and touched his cheek.

"Yeah I'll be there," she said, "I'm just filing caseloads today. I'll probably need the time out by then."

They kissed goodbye and she went to get her things and get to work while he stood there watching her leave.

C.J. closed the door and walked out to her car, clicking the alarm off. She sighed as she got inside her car and drove away from the house. Her heart had been beating hard the entire time because she really hadn't wanted to share her nightmare with him. She didn't want him to worry but since she'd woken up, she'd felt traces of the fear that had consumed her when she had seen that faceless man standing there. You would think after being brutalized by Andre there wouldn't have been anything more to fear but the man…the silhouette of him etched inside her mind still caused her to tremble. She shook it off, thinking she just had to put it behind her and get on with her day. After all, she'd be no use to anyone if she lived her life consumed with fear over what happened when she was asleep.

After all, dreams weren't real where they and neither were nightmares.


	25. Chapter 25

C.J. processed one report and then moved onto the next one on her desk. Kyra had left the stack for her that morning and she'd gotten herself some coffee and started tackling it.

As lunch arrived, she ordered some Thai takeout and then continued working. But she did so with a sense of accomplishment because reviewing each file reminded her of the work that she'd done.

The woman and girls that had been helped.

Girls who had been sold into slavery by family members or guardians…women who had been lured into it from poverty promised a better life. The promise of fame and fortune as a model snared others and in some cases, getting kidnapped off of the street or even from the home.

She knew what the latter had been like, what it meant to walk to your car, your mind focused elsewhere one moment and then the next, be struggling against an unknown attacker. She still felt a trace of the terror that had grabbed her then just thinking about it now. Blinking it back, she picked up the next file.

That of Alisha, who had lived with a drug dealer who'd used her as his mule at some point. But he'd had sex with her too, swapping it for affection and she'd gotten pregnant. She currently sat in a safe house awaiting her date to testify against the drug dealer about what she knew about his operation. But it wasn't a given that she'd make it to the witness stand because she wavered almost daily in her decision to turn state's evidence. So many times the women who occupied her rung of the drug trafficking operation faced harsh penalties than the higher tiered men who dragged them into their dealing, because they had little in the way of bargaining chips to use with prosecutors to make plea bargains.

But Alisha with the help of C.J. and Matt had gotten lucky even though she didn't feel it. She hadn't called lately so she must be settling in better.

Kyra stood in the doorway.

"You staying late tonight?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No, I'm meeting Houston and some of his clients for drinks later at Marlena's so I'll finish up this stack and head on out there."

Kyra smiled.

"Sounds like fun," she said, "I've got my shift at the center to do so I'll be leaving at five."

"Sure and have a good time."

Kyra had been a client of the women's crisis center funded by Houston Enterprises Foundation herself not too long ago but had been going to school to get her MSW and had been working here. C.J. hoped she'd decide to help her more with the field work as time passed, she knew she'd be very good at it.

"So how are things going with the trial?"

C.J. made a face.

"The usual delays but one day it'll start up."

"So that Scott guy really wants a trial," Kyra said, "I remember him when he was at Houston Enterprises, what an asshole."

Oh that and more, C.J. thought but he'd been Matt's close buddy from way back and it had taken him quite a while to figure out what a snake Scott had turned out to be. Part of that had been C.J.'s fault because she knew back in Boston, he'd been working for Andre Duval and had never told Matt.

She'd been too ashamed of that deal she'd made with the future trafficker. The one that had tied her to him for so long, even before she realized it.

"Yeah he wants his day in court and he's got that right," she said, "It's not up to me anyway."

Kyra sighed.

"If it'd been up to Matt, he'd be dead."

C.J. had no doubt about that. Matt hadn't ever been a killer, only in self-defense or defense of others like her but when he had found out what Scott had done to her, he'd been angrier than she'd ever seen him. And she knew he carried his own brand of guilt with him even several years later though he'd learned how to deal with it.

She'd see him later tonight at Marlena's and looked forward to it. But when she thought about seeing Stefan again, it left her cold. She couldn't figure out what it was about him she just didn't like. But she had to go along with it tonight because he'd proven to be such an important client for Matt and Dan. She could put her misgivings aside for the evening.

"I know…but the guy's going to get what he deserves and that'll be a long prison sentence."

She hoped the trial and testifying it no matter how grueling it turned out to be would allow her to put the ordeal behind her at last. Looking at her future had been more difficult with it looming between her and the rest of her life, but when it was done, she could finally exhale. She looked forward to what lay ahead, her burgeoning career and her relationship with Matt that she'd waited her whole life to realize.

She couldn't wait for that day to come when she'd feel free.

Matt picked up his lunch from the deli and headed back to the office. The streets outside the building had crowded up during the lunch hour and it took him a while to get his food. Dan had been in the lobby talking with Chris when he'd arrived back. She turned to face him, a hand resting on her pregnancy.

"Stefan called, he said he's looking forward to tonight," Dan said, "You'll tell him about the new test product?"

Matt nodded.

"He should be interested in it," he said, "It'll enhance his security system at his home even more.

Dan sighed.

"It looked so damn impressive in the photos and specs," he said, "I can't believe someone actually lived there."

Matt sat in the chair and took his sandwich out of the bag.

"It's more so in person," he said, "There were so many rooms in the house including that safe room."

"The one you got into during your test?"

"Yeah file cabinets lining up the walls and the safe," Matt said, "I think it's family stuff rather than corporate secrets but he'll still want to make sure it remains secured."

Chris looked at the both of them.

"The Pharmaceuticals industry is among the most covert," she said, "They all hire spies to find out what the other's doing."

Dan nodded.

"I heard that his competition has a crack team constantly trying to put him under surveillance but they've never succeeded."

Matt sighed.

"I don't imagine they would," he said, "This guy is very discreet, very stealth and very aware of his surroundings at all times."

"He's had to be," Dan said, "but he still needs our product in case the competition ups the ante."

Matt leaned back eating his sandwich.

"He's attracted so much attention because he rose so quickly," he said, "When I met him in Germany, he was doing great but nothing like now."

Chris piped up.

"I read about him in _Time_ and he's a very private man," she said, "Keeps his family out of the light to the point that most people have never seen them."

"He's wealthy enough," Matt said, "and he knows that they could be targets of kidnappings."

"Makes sense," Dan said, "He's certainly an interesting guy."

Matt couldn't deny that but he wondered about how Stefan had just appeared and dominated his industry so quickly, how he'd seemed to have brought a lot of capital to his company yet he didn't appear to come from wealth. But there could be different explanations for that.

"How's C.J. like him?"

Matt didn't know how to answer that at least not right away.

"She's working so damn hard and I think it's because of the trial."

Dan shrugged.

"Her and you both," he said, "You've done so much traveling lately."

Matt picked up his iced tea bottle and sipped it.

"I don't know how she feels about him," he said, "I did see them together at the party but she didn't talk much about it."

"Well then it'll be good that you're both meeting him and his assistant for drinks tonight."

Dan didn't need to mention Clarissa for him to react to his ex-lover. She'd told him she was engaged but he hadn't yet seen her fiancé. But she probably didn't take him on business trips while working for Stefan. It truly was a small world that they'd wound up working together but maybe it arose from their meet up at the Halloween party in the German village.

But something rankled at Matt because he knew C.J. as well as he knew himself and he'd picked up from her that she didn't appear to be too enthusiastic about either her or her boss Stefan. No that it seemed like a personality clash, she just had seemed a bit chilly. It didn't matter whether she became friends with his clients but he wondered what had spawned that reaction in her.

He could ask her why but it might be like the dreams this morning where she closed herself off and then when prompted opened herself up bit by bit. He'd try with smaller steps if he noticed the same dynamic tonight.

But he hoped he just had been imagining things.

Clarissa folded her arms looking at her boss who sat in the restaurant near the hotel eating his salmon and vegetable plate.

"So we're just going to sit there and have drinks with them, and you think you'll know if she remembers you?"

He nodded.

"That's the plan."

"Well how do you know that she remembers you and is just hiding it?"

He sighed.

"That's why we need to find out what's going on with her," he said, "and whether or not she's taken any suspicions to Matt."

"She probably would and he's not come after you yet so maybe she doesn't remember. Tough not being that memorable for a woman isn't it?"

Stefan ignored Clarissa's jab.

"Sasha, I never take such memory lapses like that personally," he said, "It's one less piece of property that needs disposal."

Clarissa chuckled.

"For a while there, I thought you'd seem taken with her while you were at Andre's compound," she said, "but you're back to your heartless self."

"I have a heart Sasha," he said, "I just know that it has no place in the business world, whether it's trafficking or pharmaceuticals."

She just looked at him, sitting there in his chair, exuding a raw sexiness that enhanced his attractiveness. She knew he was good in the sack, if you liked domineering men which she did very much. But she knew that other side of him that lived underneath his smile and eyes that were a glacial blue.

She knew the side of him that could snap a woman's neck and walk away from it to attend a social gala. But the matter with C.J. could have been handled that easily last night or it could have been handled by someone else so he could keep his hands cleaner.

Stefan didn't see her reasoning, he wanted to handle her himself and she knew he'd take no argument from her about that. She just hoped he knew what he was doing because she knew Matt even though their paths had only briefly crossed. He could become a formidable foe if he even suspected why they really sought out his business.

They couldn't underestimate him, not even for a moment not when it came to her.


	26. Chapter 26

C.J. had left her office to head home to get ready for a night at Marlena's, usually a spot she hit with Matt or her friends. A place where she usually kicked back after a hard day's work and had some fun relaxing with people she knew. But during the drive home, she felt her body tense and the beginning of a headache.

Not much to think about really, she'd met Matt there for drinks so many times and joining him was his client and his assistant. Yet she felt suddenly like she just wanted to cancel and spend the night at home with Matt instead. Still, she knew how much it mattered to him that the security firm become successful and attract clients like Stefan.

So she could do this for him. She could sit with them for several hours chasing drinks with polite conversation.

When she got home, she saw Matt sitting on the couch talking on the phone. He'd showered and changed already and he looked up at her as she approached.

"Hiya C.J.," he said, "I'm on hold with Brody."

She smiled.

"Then I won't interrupt."

"Oh please do," he said, patting the sofa," Come sit right here and whisper naughty things in my other ear while I wait for him to get back."

She chuckled as she sat beside him and he wrapped his arm around her pulling her closer for a kiss. God, she loved the way the man kissed her, she could never get enough of it.

After they broke for air, he looked at her.

"I'm almost tempted to call Stefan up and reschedule."

She gave him a pointed look.

"Houston, you can't do that," she said, "He's an important client.'

Matt sighed.

"Just a thought because I thought about you all day…"

She curled up against him.

"Really…well great minds must think like because I thought about you too."

He smiled pulling her into another kiss and then he heard Brody's voice calling him fro the phone.

"Matt…are you there," he said, "Look if you can't talk…"

C.J. furrowed her brow.

"I think I heard Brody."

"I do too," Matt said, "I'm still here so you found the financial ledgers for last year?"

"Yeah did that but I don't know who made these notations," Brody said, "I'd ask your uncle but he's on a Catalina Island cruise with that woman he's seeing."

Matt sighed.

"You could scan the pages and fax them over to me."

"Good idea…but maybe Roy or I had better fly out there in person."

Matt considered that but didn't think it'd be necessary.

"Just in case you can't read my writing," Brody added, "I can lead you through it step by step."

"What about the caseload?"

"It's always going to be high," Brody said, "You're the top firm in L.A. and we've worked hard to keep that ranking."

Matt had remembered the climb up there not that this had been his objective because his mind had been focused on trying to help people. But the firm had grown into a huge success. He'd paid the price with his health after contracting a virulent form of pneumonia that almost took him out of the game.

"You hire those two extra?"

"Yeah, Hoyt vouched for them," Brody said, "They were mostly on the other side of the beat when I worked there."

Matt hesitated, because C.J. had placed her hand on his chest and even with a layer of fabric in between, he definitely felt it.

"Look if you want to fly out," he said, "That's fine and we can set up a meeting."

"That'll work…besides I want to try that steakhouse you've been telling me about."

Matt smiled. It had been a popular spot for both him and C.J. when they'd been growing up and they ate their frequently now.

"That will give me a chance to see C.J. again," Brody said, "Make sure you're taking good care of her."

"Been enjoying doing that…"

Brody chuckled.

"Cause if you don't, I'll be more than happy to fill in for you."

"What about your wife?"

"We'll work things out."

Matt knew that Brody teased when he said that but he and C.J. had become friends since he'd started working for Matt's firm. Brody had been thrilled when he heard that he and C.J. had hooked up even though his phone calls interrupted several of their dates.

"Okay I'll be sure to let her know," Matt said, "but listen, I got to go but if you want to fly out, just give me a date and I'll make sure one of the jet's is waiting."

"Ah, it'll be nice to see how the other half lives," Brody said, "Talk to you later."

Matt clicked off his phone and looked over at C.J.

"Brody wants you to move in with him."

C.J. arched her brows.

"Sounds like it'd be a crowded house," she said, "So he's coming out here?"

Matt rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah to talk about the firm," he said, "If I have to make a decision on its future."

C.J. stroked his chest, looking at him.

"If you want to still hold onto it and run it…"

He shook his head.

"I've got more than enough to do here," Matt said, "and Uncle Roy and Brody have been running it for the past few months."

C.J. wondered if Matt truly was ready to hand off the firm he'd started from the ground up to his partners. He's still own a share in it but wouldn't be an active partner.

"You sure about that?"

He kissed her softly on the mouth.

"I've never been more sure," he said, "I'm where I want to be."

* * *

><p>They left the house and drove over to the restaurant and saw Stefan and Clarissa standing in the lobby with the hostess. Matt walked up and told her he had reservations and she nodded, leading them to a booth in the VIP lounge.<p>

They ordered their drinks and some appetizers off of the menu.

"They make great tapas," Matt said, "As good as some of the places I ate at in Europe."

Stefan nodded.

"I look forward to tasting them," he said, "My chef at the estate you were at learned to make them from a master in Seville."

Clarissa fingered her glass while looking at Matt.

"You spend a lot of time in Spain Matt?"

He sipped from his glass.

"A month," he said, "Met a family that raised bulls for fighting and some fruit orchards."

She smiled at him.

"I love Spain," she said, "the food, the people, the parties."

Matt arched his brows.

"The running of the bulls in Pamplona is great fun."

"I missed that," she said, "but maybe I'll catch it someday."

C.J. sipped her own drink while watching them and when the tapas came, she took one always finding them delicious. She noticed that Stefan's eyes had been on her and she felt self-conscious beneath his gaze. Almost as if he were sizing her up.

"Have you been to Spain C.J.?"

She blinked her eyes not having realized he had spoken to her. His eyes shone in interest as he bit into his tapa.

"Yes, I spent a month there while vacationing after law school," she said, "Did most of my time in Madrid."

He nodded approvingly.

"Yes, a great city with plenty to occupy one's time," he said, "Did you visit the museums?"

She nodded.

"I spent nearly all day in the Prado…"

"I see. I did the same during my last visit," he said, "It's always a bit different each time."

"It's been a while since I've returned," she said, "I've always meant to but I've been busy lately."

His eyes softened.

"Ah yes, I heard about what happened to you," he said, "Animals like that should be shot not put on trial."

Clarissa nodded.

"Why do they pay so much for a trial," she said, "if they are guilty of such heinous crimes."

C.J. looked at both of them, feeling her body tense as it did when anyone reminded her even innocently of what happened.

"That's not how we do it in our country," she said, "Defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."

Clarissa grimaced.

"Do you really believe that's the best system," she said, "after everything they did to you?"

Sometimes the answer wasn't always so easy but there were parts of herself C.J. didn't feel ready to sacrifice and one of them was her belief in the legal system. If she gave up on that, then people like Andre and Scott would win.

"Yes I do," she said, "It's not easy at times but it's the best system in the world."

Stefan smiled.

"It's the best one we know of," he said, "perhaps the best system hasn't been invented yet."

Matt frowned after sipping his drink.

"I don't know what would be better than what we have except for it to move faster than a gridlock."

C.J. knew that so many times Matt had wished her ordeal with the legal system would be over, for her sake more than anything else. He saw daily what it had taken out of her since he'd found her holed up in a cabin during a snow storm hiding out from Andre's men who had found her. She battled with her belief in the worthiness of the system she defended and he saw that too.

She slipped her hand on top of his on the table and looked at him.

"I know what you mean," she said, "but we'll get there."

Clarissa looked over at Stefan and then back at C.J.

"But your life…it must still be in danger, aren't you afraid that someone from Andre Duval's organization will try to harm you?"

C.J. hesitated because that part of it had weighed so heavily on her life. Matt had taken great measures advocating for her security and doing a lot of that work himself. Truth be told, the only person she felt safe with was him.

She took a deep breath before she answered.

"I do worry about it," she said, "but I can't let my concerns dominate my life. I lost too much to those men already. I don't want to give them any more of it."

Stefan nodded slightly.

"I can understand that," he said, "It must be a daily battle just dealing with the memories of it."

C.J. felt a sliver of apprehension run through her then and she looked away from his eyes. He had been treading on some rather sensitive turf with his questions and she didn't feel as if they arose from idle curiosity,

Her heart started beating faster; sweat broke out on the back of her neck.

"I…I can handle that…"

"What about anything that's new," he prodded, "that you feel as if you'd forgotten?"

She didn't know how to answer that or why he'd asked but he just looked at her with his probing eyes and suddenly she felt like she needed to get away.

"I…I excuse me," she said, "I'll be right back."

Matt just looked at her but she moved away from the table. Stefan reached for his glass to take a sip.

"I'm sorry if I said anything to make her feel uncomfortable."

Matt sighed.

"It's hard for her to talk about it still."

Stefan nodded.

"Then I shouldn't have asked…I'll go apologize to her."

"It's not necessary," Matt said, "She'll be back in a minute. Sometimes she just needs some space."

But Stefan had gotten out of his chair already and moved to find her.


	27. Chapter 27

C.J. had really felt like she needed some fresh air.

The questions that Stefan had been asking about what happened to her a couple of years ago had slipped through her defenses and had left her feeling vulnerable. More so than she thought she could be. But she didn't want to interrupt Matt's attempts to entertain his biggest client.

It hadn't been so bad when she first sat down at the table and it had been the three of them but then something had stirred inside of her that brought her quickly on the edge of panic. She started to feel dizzy and her limbs tingled, the familiar feelings that once they grabbed hold of her couldn't be stemmed until the panic attack ran its course. But sometimes if she walked away and got some air by herself, she'd come back down more quickly. She could rein it in before it got away from her.

Her breathing began to slow down, her heart beat lessen as she walked outside through some open doors out into the courtyard. Inside it, was a garden of flowers in clusters of different bright colors and then a fountain which glowed with light at night. She focused on the water cascading out of the figurine as it splashed into a pool where fish swam. Sometimes if she could block everything out except what was in front of her she could bring herself way from the brink.

She didn't know what had changed inside of her, just that subtle shift inside her that almost felt tangible when it happened. Had it been stress carried over from earlier in the day or the night of the party? She'd been prescribed medication to take for her panic attacks but she never used it because though the attacks left her totally spent for a day or two, the medicine made her feel even more disassociated from the world around her. She relied on relaxation exercises Diana had given her and over time, the attacks had faded as had most the nightmares.

Until just recently.

Diana might tell her it was the stress of the trial or her work but it didn't matter to her right now when she felt it overwhelm her.

"Just take a deep breath…"

She heard a man's voice behind her, clipped in accent and she knew it was Stefan.

"Hold it for about five counts and then release it just as slowly…."

She did try that and felt her mind clear gradually with each cycle of breathing. It had been close to an exercise that Diana had prescribed her. She looked over at him.

"You sound like you've learned to do that."

He smiled and nodded.

"I used to get anxiety attacks when I was growing up," he said, "I lived in very difficult circumstances and survival wasn't guaranteed."

She could imagine that though she knew little about the man. Even the articles about him and his business empire barely mentioned his earlier years. It almost seemed as if he had stepped out from another dimension, and suddenly been a success. But then the media tended to focus on successes rather than the pathway there.

"You look like you've moved past that now."

"Yes but it took quite a few years," he said, "and now being in pharmaceuticals, there's the stress that comes with always having to be on guard in an industry where secrets are held tightly lest they be snatched away."

She supposed that were true as that industry had always been cutthroat in terms of competition because the rewards proved to be very lucrative. But the potential for failure loomed in the background.

"I assume you've heard about me."

He studied her very carefully then she noticed and she felt that feeling again, the tension in her muscles.

"Yes, I think it's remarkable after all you've been through that you want to help other women in similar straits."

She looked at her hands, the ones that bore those scars that would never completely fade.

"I don't want anyone ever to face what I did…and so many women faced even worse."

He nodded.

"Horrible isn't it, that anyone would want to be involved in such a sordid business as buying and selling people."

She couldn't argue with that and the timbre of his voice had changed subtly.

"Yes…but it's prevalent all over the world even here."

He nodded again.

"Yes…but it follows the economic principle that most commodities, say drugs both illegal and the kind my company produces can only be sold once. But a person, one person can be sold over and over."

C.J. had heard that argument expressed many times in the past several years. After all, she had been sold once by Andre to someone who might have done that with her, sold her again and again.

"You know about trafficking?"

He shrugged.

"Just casually through what I've read or seen on television," he said, "It's commonly done in Eastern European countries too."

Yes, that's where many of the women trafficked including those in the United States had originated from, often tricked into slavery by people fronting for organized gangs in many of those countries. So many economies had collapsed with the fall of Communism that newer enterprises had to take over or older professions rewritten.

"But you know from personal experience don't you?"

There was the slightest edge in his question which gave her pause but she figured he was just curious as so many people she had encountered had been when they'd read about her story.

"Yes, I had never really heard about it until I was abducted from the garage where I worked by two men."

She hadn't been thinking of anything before they grabbed her from behind except the man she had been on her way to meet, part of a ruse as it turned out to set up her abduction.

"It must have been horrible," he said, "especially the anticipation of what waited."

C.J. looked at him but his face remained etched with what looked like concern, his eyes on her.

"Yes…I recognized his voice…at some point while it was dark where they left me," she said, "from all those years ago."

"Didn't he hold you in some remote place for a month?"

Damn, Stefan had been reading about her it seemed.

"In Washington State," she said, "until I escaped."

He looked at her then almost as if he admired but in his eyes she also read something else.

* * *

><p>Matt sat at the table with Clarissa who had told her what it had been like working with Stefan, after meeting up with him in Germany. He remembered that Halloween party that the three of them had attended back when everything had been so different.<p>

He's been traveling the world feeling his troubles slipping further and further away and when he'd met up with Clarissa, they'd enjoyed a brief affair. Stefan had intrigued him and at the party had provided him with some insights from his own life, what little he shared about it.

A pang of guilt hit him as it often did because at the time they had been at the party, C.J. had been still recovering from injuries experienced during her escape from the nightmare she'd been dragged into by Andre.

"Matt…I'm sure it's okay…"

He looked up at Clarissa who smiled at him.

"What's okay?"

"C.J….I'm sure she just needed to get some air."

He just nodded sipping his drink.

"She'll be back Matt…"

He furrowed his brow.

"Why wouldn't she return," he said, "Sometimes she just needs to leave. She's been through a lot."

"I'm sure she has Matt and I'm sure you've helped her through it."

He'd fallen in love with C.J. first while he'd been away from home and had planned to tell her that when he returned to L.A. but she'd been gone.

It had taken months to unravel what had turned out to be a chain of events stemming from her being caught between Andre and the Jaguar. Andre was no longer able to terrorize her but no one had caught up with the man who had bought her.

"It's been a long road but with the trial coming up, we're almost at its end."

She nodded, fingering her glass.

"I'm sure that will be a relief to both of you," she said, "after having been through so much."

He tried to change the subject.

"You got engaged."

She smiled and lifted her left hand.

"Yes I did," she said, "and he's traveling on business right now for an extended period of time."

Matt leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

"You miss though?"

She nodded again.

"But I knew he didn't want to give up his professional life when I agreed to marry him so that makes it a bit easier."

He couldn't argue with that given how much he and C.J. had been apart when one or the other had to leave town on business. But for him, it hadn't been getting easier but harder.

"I still remember what we shared together Matt."

He looked up at her startled by her words, and she smiled again.

"Don't worry I'm not using that as an inroad to revisiting old times," she said, "just that I remember it fondly."

He pursed his lips.

"Yes it was nice. But both of us have discovered something better since…"

* * *

><p>C.J. looked at the fountain while Stefan stood beside her.<p>

"I'm sorry if my questions bring back painful memories for you."

She sighed as she looked at the fish darting through the pool of water chasing each other.

"No…I'm fine," she said, "I'm starting to put all that behind me."

He paused and then his voice changed again.

"But what about things you might not remember," he said, "I did read somewhere that you had gaps in your recollections."

Yes, she did and she knew that might not ever change. Diana had discussed hypnosis with her but she hadn't taken it seriously. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to remember what her mind had intentionally kept blank. At least not right now, maybe with the passage of more time.

"I have missing memories," she said, "They're not sure whether or not that's permanent."

He sighed.

"There are ways to find them," he said, "if they're indeed missing."

She looked at him, her body posture shifting.

"I'm not sure I want to go down that road," she said, "I don't know what's waiting in the fog as I call it which lies between what I can see and what I can't."

He appeared to understand that.

"Maybe that's for the best," he said, "but then maybe seeking those memories out might help you determine when they'll reappear. Otherwise they might just pop up when you least expect them. When you're the least prepared…"

She bit her lip, thinking Stefan had a point.

"I don't know…I don't what I'd remember…"

Suddenly she heard footsteps and looked up to see Matt approach.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

"Fine…we're just talking here," she said, "You ready to go?"

He came up and slipped an arm around her.

"Just about…I wanted to make a stop on the way home."

She looked at him and nodded, and the three of them walked back to the table, but she thought about Stefan's words all the way.


	28. Chapter 28

C.J. thought about what Stefan had said to her on the drive home. Matt had stopped at the store to get them some ice cream to eat out on the porch when they got home. It had always been her favorite dessert to eat while winding down from a tough day.

They drove through the darkened streets of Houston to the house they shared in silence. She'd been trying to process what Stefan had told her, about hypnosis and a part of her had been tempted but what would be uncovered if she did that? She remembered all too well watching a former girlfriend of Matt hypnotize him after he'd lost a month of his life from being kidnapped and brainwashed. Andrea had outlined the perils and pitfalls that could befall Matt if she asked the wrong question, probed in the wrong place.

One wrong move and he could have been turned into a vegetable she had warned. But beside that, she had seen how traumatized he had been as the layers inside his memories were peeled away like with an onion. Only it had been the man she loved sitting there terror etched on his features as he relieved his worst days. She had shed a few tears trying to hide them from him, wanting to be his rock when he struggled to grab hold of something, anything to remain grounded.

She'd been there waiting.

"Penny for your thoughts…"

She turned to him and smiled.

"Sorry…just got lost in my thinking."

"Did you and Stefan have a good talk?"

She tilted her face, still not able to make sense of what he had said or the man himself. He remained an enigma to her while it intrigued her, it also puzzled her.

"Yes…we talked about hypnosis."

His brows rose when he glanced sideways at her.

"He brought that up?"

She nodded.

"But I told him first about the missing pieces of my life," she said, "those memories that I can't access about being Andre's prisoner."

He sighed and she knew he felt her frustration at the big holes in her experience; she couldn't fill them for the prosecutors anymore than the investigators. She'd never been able to remember them for herself.

"It might work…but it might be rough because they'll need to find a way to move them to your consciousness."

"I know and god, I remember what it was like when Andrea hypnotized you and the terror you felt, it was like being there all over again wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was…every sight, sound and smell," he said, "even the bitter taste of fear…but I had to do it to solve a puzzle."

She understood that and in a way she shared his dilemma but the thought of remembering scared her too. What if what her mind had suppressed had been so awful she couldn't live with it? What if she pushed everyone away from her again?

"I don't know if I can do that Houston."

He reached over to rub her shoulder.

"You don't have to if you want," he said, "but if what you don't remember you is haunting you, then maybe you ought to think about it."

She nodded again, thinking he made a lot of sense.

"It was kind of strange that he brought it up," she said, "I mean I'm used to the comments and the questions but he seemed centered on the parts I couldn't remember."

"Maybe there's a common thread that reminds him of something in his own life," Matt said, "My sense is that he's been through some harrowing experiences himself which is why he's such a private man."

Matt could be right about that. It could be more than just his line of work.

"So what did Clarissa have to say," she said as they turned down their street, "It's so interesting she wound up working with Stefan not long after you met her."

He paused.

"I think they met at that party we attended back then," he said, "and maybe they hit it off more than it appeared."

"He looks like he depends on her for so much," she said, "for a man who doesn't look like he trusts many people."

He parked the car in the driveway and they went into the house. C.J. went to get the ice cream into bowls before it melted too much before they both hit the porch.

* * *

><p>Stefan unbuttoned his silk shirt and slipped it off of his shoulders. Clarissa watched him closely. They had returned to the hotel after leaving the restaurant. He poured them nightcaps and they sat on the roof patio. It'd still been quite warm and very humid so Stefan had thought about taking a swim, but first things first.<p>

"So what happened with her," she pressed, "You were gone quite a period of time."

He glanced up at her.

"She's missing memories," he said, "I hinted at hypnosis."

She arched her brows.

"In god's name why…why would you want to risk them resurfacing?"

He sipped his drink.

"I wanted to see how she'd respond," he said, "to know if it's something she'd been considering already or even attempted."

She nodded at that.

"You better hope she doesn't," she said, "because then she'll realize you've been a starring player in them."

Stefan hardened his glance.

"Then I'll just enact the original plan," he said, "Maybe I should just do it anyway rather than take the chance."

Clarissa sighed.

"You can't do that…she's way too high profile now and Matt will hunt down the person responsible and he's very good at his work."

Stefan grinned.

"Yes I know, why do you think I hired him? I would have for his skills even if C.J. hadn't been a consideration."

Clarissa poured herself another glass.

"Remember if it needs to be done, it'll have to be discreet," she said, "not like the other women."

He agreed.

"No one gave a damn about them when they were alive," he said, "but you're right about it being different with her. That was Andre's mistake."

"Yes it was…among many," she said, "I never quite understood his obsession with her that started years ago and he fueled since."

"I do…but I don't share it," Stefan said, "She's very beautiful but she's merchandise that belongs to me that I never received a return on my investment and it's got to be destroyed."

He had an edge in his voice that gave Clarissa pause. She hadn't been with him when he'd gone to Andre to negotiate for a woman to substitute the one that he'd really wanted.

Stefan had just assured her that it had gone well. But then the man they'd sent to get her had screwed up and one of their hired guns had to take him out. He wound up finishing what C.J. had started when she had escaped again.

There'd be no escape for her this time.

"She doesn't appear to have any memory of me," he said, "but I don't know for sure."

Clarissa pursed her lips.

"That's what we're here to find out," she said, "Maybe it's my turn to do that."

Stefan looked at her a moment and then nodded.

* * *

><p>C.J. sat finishing up her ice cream on the porch, her shoulder brushing against Matt's. The songs of the crickets helped them relax and enjoy the warm evening.<p>

"Houston…how do you feel about it?"

"About what?"

"My trying hypnosis…"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I think you need to do what helps you heal," he said, "and if it lies in those lost memories, then this might help."

She looked into the darkness, the outline of the trees in front of them.

"I'm doing fine…"

"I know that," he said, "and you've worked really hard at it but I know how hard it is not to remember something yet feel like it's there anyway."

She bit her lip looking over at him.

"It's just that sometimes I can almost feel the memories even if I can't see them," she said, "I don't know what happened when Andre sold me to the Jaguar….just what he told me."

"Maybe there's not much to remember," he said, "It could have been done behind closed doors."

She nodded, considering that but she had the faintest inklings some times of someone…whose outline she could see in front of her without the details filled in.

"Maybe I saw him," she said, "and if I could remember, we'd know who he is and can find him."

C.J. wanted to know who he had been because she'd spent the last two years looking over her shoulder for him, to wait until he'd make his move. She knew that Matt had done that too. But there hadn't even been shadows.

"We don't know much more about him than when we started," he said, "except that he's out there somewhere maybe in plain sight."

She realized that was true because he could be anyone. He could even be a public figure harboring a double life. After all, that's what Andre had done, looking like a highly renowned businessman with a philanthropic side when in reality, he's been a ruthless trafficker of women.

Trying to picture him in her head didn't accomplish much because she just found him elusive. But a trail of dead women was left behind him much like had happened for nearly a decade with Andre.

"What if he's still out looking?"

She couldn't keep the fear out of her voice even though she didn't want to show it to Matt. He'd been so loving and so patient with her that she wanted to make things easier for him as much as possible.

Why she had kept the worst of her most recent dreams to herself.

He slipped his arm around her after putting his bowl and spoon down and she rested her head against him.

"I'll never let him get close to you," he said, "You need to believe that C.J."

"I know Houston…but it's like he's a phantom and there's no telling where he'll come from only that suddenly he'll be there."

He pulled her closer and she wrapped her arms around him, loving how it felt to be close to him. Her relationship with him had grown so rich in the last couple of months more so than she thought possible. Who would have guessed they'd ever get to this point…but tragedy had set the pace and it had been a hard fought struggle.

Nothing worthwhile had ever come easily to her and he'd been the most important person in her life.

"I'll be waiting if he decides to show his face and he'll get what's coming to him."

"Houston…I don't want anything to happen to you."

He looked at her directly.

"Nothing will happen except that he'll pay the price for hurting you," he said, "You can count on that."

She nodded against him, knowing he meant it, there was no talking him out of it and she just had to hope that he wouldn't be the one who wound up paying.


	29. Chapter 29

On days like this, taking off in the car and driving to the beach made a lot of sense.

C.J. and Chris had both taken the day off from work and had packed up a lunch and driven off to their favorite spot an hour's drive away from the city. If they arrived before the tide rolled in, the beach provided plenty of space to spread out towels and lay down to catch some rays, dipping in the warmth of the Gulf of Mexico which stretched all the way to the horizon.

Matt and Dan had to put in double time to perfect the final blueprints for Stefan's enhanced security system so that left the women to their own devices. They intended to make the most of it. Chris had taken her convertible Mercedes and left the top down as they raced down the highway as the sun rose overhead. The day promised to be a scorcher even though autumn loomed ahead of them soon enough. As they drove past the coast, C.J. had looked out into the deep blue water that hugged the coastline churning with white foam as it cascaded on shore.

The beach was lightly populated when they arrived and they took their things and walked from the lot down a pathway towards their favorite spot. A short walk down the coast to the refreshment stand, a popular hangout for families and for teenaged couples but until then, C.J. hoped to just do some relaxing and maybe a little bit of swimming. When they spread out their towels, C.J. took off her denim shorts and top that she'd put on top of her scarlet bikini.

"Wow…Matt's going to be upset when he finds out you wore it without him."

C.J. smiled.

"He had his chance to join us but I guess they're under the gun on this project."

Chris stuck to a one piece blue number with gold trim being quite pregnant. They put on their sunscreen before they hit their towels. C.J. pulled a book out of her bag, some novel she hadn't much time to finish but she didn't feel like reading. Her eyes caught the faded scars on her hands but she didn't pay them much mind anymore. Only when someone questioned her about them.

"I was thinking about getting one…"

C. over at her friend, in question.

"A tattoo, but I was thinking a butterfly."

C.J. smiled.

"That'd be nice, what does Dan think about it?"

Chris shrugged.

"He's all right as long as I wait until after the baby's born," she said, "gives me time to design it."

C.J. looked at the frog prince on her shoulder, it had involved more than just picking the design for her. She had to cut through a lot of bureaucratic red tape not because of the tattoo but because what had once been underneath.

The mark of the man who bought her, the Jaguar.

Not much of it had survived the infection and dermabrasion but when she received permission to have it done, she found an artist to help her realize it. The frog had been perfect because she and Matt both adored the critters and it reminded her of that kiss he'd given her after the frog jumping contest.

The crown because after kissing more than her share of frogs she'd found her prince. Of course, he'd been there the whole time but it took them a while to figure it out.

"So will you go with me when I get it because I'm a wimp for pain?"

"Sure…but mine didn't hurt as much as I thought," C.J. said, "and the artist was patient. You'll really like her."

It had taken a couple of hours and Rhonda had helped her through it since she sported several tattoos. She'd even stayed to get one of her own touched up and then they'd gone off and celebrated. Once Rhonda found out that Chris planned to get one, she'd be hitting her with all kinds of advice.

"Dan and I are going in for another ultra sound tomorrow; I can't believe only a few months to go."

C.J. heard the sense of accomplishment in Chris' voice because it had taken her and Dan over a year to even conceive a baby. She'd had to get minor surgery before she could get pregnant but everything had gone more smoothly since.

"You are starting on the nursery?"

Chris sighed.

"I probably won't make much inroads until I go on leave six weeks out," she said, "Matt said I could leave much sooner after he stopped Murray from hyperventilating over it but I think I'm timing it right."

C.J. smiled imagining Murray sitting there about to pass out, at the news he'd be losing his vice-president for a little while though Chris planned to return when her baby hit six months. Matt had built a very nice day care center inside Houston Enterprises so Chris would then bring her baby to work with her.

She'd been so happy for Chris and Dan when they finally were on the road to starting their family. She knew that she and Matt would be doing that some day. They'd both grew up only children and both wanted plenty of children. But life had plenty of complications left ahead of them including the criminal trial that still lay ahead of them. Often she wondered if they'd have time in their lives to move forward with its more personal side.

"So what about you and Matt," Chris asked, "You thinking about getting married, having kids?"

C.J. looked over at her while she searched for her reasons why that had been put off into the future.

"Oh we talk about it but there's just so much going on…our careers, the investigation and working on building our new home."

That didn't seem to satisfy her friend.

"Yeah but you two are perfect for each other," she said, "and you'll make great parents."

C.J. listened because she knew she wanted to be a mother more than just about anything but she knew she wasn't ready yet for different reasons, some of which she still grappled with in therapy.

"And that day when the two of you are sitting there waiting for results from a pregnancy test and hoping for the best it's just so exciting."

C.J. looked away out into the ocean, watching the waves breaking on shore before receding again.

"I…I took the pregnancy test before Chris...and I was praying for the opposite."

Chris just looked at her startled, and C.J. struggled to keep the emotions of that difficult time in her life in check. They no longer felt as raw as back then but some of what she felt still lingered.

"It was when I was staying at Jonathan's family ranch in Colorado…after I escaped," she said, "I thought I might be pregnant from what happened with Andre."

Chris' eyes widened.

"Oh I'm sorry…that sounds so awful," she said, "to have gone through all that and then think that bastard got you pregnant."

Chris' words reflected what had been running in her mind back then. She'd been injured, nearly died from an infection and had been slowly recovering, feeling her body struggle to return to normal but if she'd been pregnant. She couldn't even imagine facing it.

"I went to the store and bought the test from Bonnie…didn't tell her anything about why I needed it...and then I did it the next morning."

"Were you alone?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No I told Thea and she stayed with me until I got my answer and it was negative. I was so relieved that I hadn't been carrying his child. I don't know what I would have done with the pregnancy…I mean I knew who the father would have been, the man who kidnapped me and raped me."

Chris didn't know what to say to that. She'd heard some of what C.J. had faced during her ordeal but not that part.

"I did tell Houston about it last summer," she said, "After we both knew that we were going to be intimate. I didn't want to keep it from him."

Chris smiled and rubbed her arm.

"It's going to be different next time; it's going to be a happy time in your lives, not a reminder of something awful."

C.J. nodded, knowing that she looked forward to the time when she and Matt would start their family.

In the future when they had finally put the ordeal that dominated the past several years of their lives behind them, they would finally move past it.

* * *

><p>Later, she and Chris left their towels and grabbed some money to go buy some fruit ices at the stand. C.J. had gone on a brief but very refreshing swim in the ocean and after lying out in the sun to dry off, the two of them had started walking. The sun had begun its journey to the horizon and an ocean breeze wafted through the heat.<p>

Chris frowned and pointed something out.

"What's that?"

C.J. followed her finger and saw a crowd of people and some uniformed individuals pulling a roll of yellowed tape around an area of sand, near where the tide had reached. Several vehicles, their lights flashing were parked nearby.

Chris looked at her troubled.

"What's going on?"

But C.J. already knew, some place deep inside of her. Another body of a woman had washed on shore.

They continued walking and came up upon a crowd of people being pushed back by several police officers.

"What's going on here," C.J. asked.

A woman next to her shook her head.

"Some kids found a dead woman," she said, "She just washed up on shore and they saw her."

C.J. walked up to an officer who worked the perimeter.

"I heard a woman just washed up on shore."

The officer looked bored, as he just stood there to keep people from crossing over the police line tape.

"Yeah…they don't know how long she's been in the water though," he said, "Probably got drunk and decided to go swimming one night…it happens."

C.J. watched as a plain clothed detective walked up to the officer and she turned her attention to him.

"Is she a drowning victim?"

The guy just looked at her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm C.J. Parsons, I work as a consultant to the Justice Department right now and there's been other dead bodies found."

The detective listened to her, apparently sizing her up.

"And this has to do with this woman," he said, "I don't think so…she could have been intoxicated or just fought with a boyfriend…there's some bruises but we're not sure when she got them."

She processed that information, her mind working quickly.

"Did she have any other types of marks on her body?"

He frowned at her and she knew she had his attention now.

"What do you mean?"

"Brands, tattoos, anything like that showing up?"

His expression on his face froze a moment.

"As a matter of fact, she's got one on her shoulder," he said, "It's not intact but most of it still there."

C.J. took a deep breath for more than just a stab in the dark.

"Is it a large cat, a jaguar?"

His face changed then and his eyes filled with suspicion.

"How did you know?"

She tilted her face.

"I know because most of the other women had them too…women found near bodies of water in Europe and in this country. You might want to get in touch with the FBI and Interpol."

The man arched his brows.

"Why not the CIA…?"

C.J. just shrugged at him not interested in humor.

"Seriously how did you know?"

She bit her lip and thought about what it'd been like to be marked like these women had been. Pain pushing past agony while someone held her down on the bed, the simmering burn of the brand that never faded but flared up almost taking her life.

Finding out what the brand meant, that she was merchandise to be bought and sold between powerful men.

"I was marked like that by a man who kidnapped me," she said, "A major trafficker named Andre Duval."

The detective's eyes widened.

"I heard of him…bad dude who was killed during a multi-national raid on his compound."

She nodded.

"But the mark isn't his," she said, "He killed women by the scores too but they were marked by the chimera, a combination of different animals mixed together. It's another trafficker who branded these women."

The detective scratched his head.

"Aren't they all in custody, the major players?"

C.J. thought, hardly as only Andre and some of his customers had been erased.

"No, another guy slipped through the net," she said, "He's called the Jaguar and he's still out there somewhere."

The detective decided he'd heard enough to realize she wasn't the killer or a crackpot so he reached for his cell phone to make some calls. When he got off, he looked at her.

"That was my supervisor," he said, "He's decided he wants you to take a look at her."

Meaning the woman lying dead just yards away, C.J. thought before she nodded. He took her by the arm and led her to the crime scene, lifting the crime scene tape over her head.

When she saw the woman, she saw that she had long dark hair and had been tall and willowy when she'd been alive. Now she lay in a fetal position on the shore of the beach, though her skin color had darkened and her body had already began to swell from decomposition. But when she approached, steeling herself against the spoiled fruity odor of the dead, she saw the tattoo that marked the woman's shoulder.

And she recognized it. She turned towards the detective and nodded.


	30. Chapter 30

Matt just looked at her from where he sat on the patio.

"You sure it was the same tattoo?"

She nodded as she joined him on the chaise as they both settled down to eat dinner. Not that she'd had much of an appetite after having examined the body of the dead woman. The body had been too decomposed to determine a cause of death without a full autopsy but when she'd seen the tattoo of the jaguar…she'd remembered the one that she'd worn on her own shoulder before the infection.

"Houston…someone's killing these women and it's all related back to him."

Meaning that the man who had used that tattoo to mark his enslaved women like cattle had to be surfacing from his self-imposed exile.

"I thought it might be the chimera. Andre's mark but no…it was definitely the jaguar."

Matt sighed putting his fork down and she knew that her news unnerved him. After all, she had worn that mark herself until it had been removed.

"Did the detective say they were going to run the tattoo through Interpol?"

She nodded again.

"And through all the known databases…Simon's going to send the information that the feds have on this guy but the trail's been cold."

Matt picked up his beer and took a sip.

"Maybe someone will get lucky."

C.J. hoped that would be the case but so far no one even came close to finding out the identity of one of the world's largest human traffickers.

"I remember all those women that Andre killed and then tossed into the sea," she said, "We don't even know if we found all of them."

The sadness in her voice made him turn towards her and stroke her cheek with the fingers of one hand.

"He's gone…at least that's one man who can't hurt women any longer."

She nodded her eyes still stinging. Even with the time that passed, all the work that she'd done, it still got to her. Just like the sight of that unknown woman today had hit her in the gut even before she identified the tattoo.

"I'm thinking about doing the hypnosis Houston…I want to remember more than I do."

His brows lifted as he looked at her.

"You sure…I'll support you in whatever you choose to do but are you sure it's going to help you?"

She leaned back against the chaise closing her eyes because she'd asked herself the same question over and over again. The answer shifted each time and still she didn't feel so sure but these dreams that had surfaced…she wanted to know where they came from. Did they come from parts of her that still hid so much of what had happened?

And she wanted to know why Matt's new client Stefan left her cold, so much so that nothing could warm her. It seemed strange since she'd never met the guy yet something about him seemed so familiar.

In a way that scared her though she didn't share that with Matt.

Not when it seemed silly on the surface. Stefan Kostas was her husband's biggest client yet and his business could really boost the security firm in an exciting direction. But what she had felt at the party…it's been the first time in months she felt that kind of fear that arose from somewhere deep inside her. Yet he'd seemed concerned about her when he'd offered her advice on how to deal with her anxiety.

"I need to do something Houston…I can't keep going like this…with all these holes in my memory. What am I going to do when I testify?"

He started stroking her hair with one of his hands. She loved the way his fingers felt running through the strands, the soothing sensations that filled her when he did that.

"I'll be right with you if you want."

She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

"Thanks…I'll talk to Diana and see what I can do…I just feel so in the dark sometimes and afraid when I don't know why."

His face grew concerned.

"C.J. why didn't you tell me about it?"

She saw how worried he looked and she didn't want to be the cause of it. He'd already had to deal with so much of what she had faced already. Healing and rebuilding her life had come slowly, much more so than she'd hoped but she worked very hard to keep moving forward.

"I didn't want to worry you Houston…it's nothing really just dreams and they're probably resurfacing because we're getting closer to trial."

"Maybe…but if it's something new going on…"

"I don't know that Houston…I just know that I want to figure out what's going on with me," she said, "There's so much of what happened that I don't remember. Like I'm in the middle of a fog bank and I can't see anything around me."

She tried to steel herself against the anxiety that seeped to the surface, damn she didn't want Matt to think she'd never get through what happened to her. He'd been so patient and so loving and it couldn't be easy.

"Some things you might never remember," he said, "I know when I went missing for that month…there's still pieces I don't remember…no matter how hard I tried."

"But hypnosis helped you…at least get the important parts of it back," she said, "so you could clear your name."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and she knew her words had sent him back to that traumatic time. Not what she'd wanted to do right now. After all, she wasn't the only one who'd been fighting demons.

"I'm sorry Houston I didn't mean…"

He shook his head.

"No, what Andrea did help me a lot but it was so hard…if you hadn't been there…"

She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I'll always be there," she said, "I just need some answers. If only so I don't feel like I'm going into this trial feeling blind."

His eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

She bit her lip.

"I know that Scott…he remembers things that I don't or he might," she said, "I remember how Piser would taunt me with information that I didn't know but he did…and he used that to try to control me."

Matt remained silent for a long moment.

"I know that if he does know, then his lawyer will too," she said, "and he might use that information to broadside me. I can't let that happen."

"Okay then I think you should do it…but take it easy because it can be very intense."

She knew that already having shed a tear and more when she had watched him wrestle through the trauma he'd buried in his subconscious. But she didn't feel like she had a choice.

She needed to uncloak some of the secrets she kept from herself and she needed help to do that.

* * *

><p>Stefan sipped his vodka as Sasha watched from her position on the couch. If it'd been several years ago, they'd had taken it to the bedroom but whatever passion had existed between them had cooled. But he still counted on her to be his right hand man even as he didn't really trust her.<p>

He didn't get where he was alive by trusting anyone. But then neither had the woman sitting across from him. They had that in common.

"So you really think she'll do it?"

He put his glass down and leaned back on the luxury sofa.

"Yes I do. I think right now she's discussing it with Matt and he'll tell her to be careful."

"Not bad advice…the mind can be filled with suppressed memories more like landmines," Sasha said, "Trigger the wrong one…"

"Then we'll find out how much she remembers about us," Stefan said, "whatever she does…is not in her surface memories."

"Because she was high as a kite when you were at the compound," Sasha said, "The drug does have amnesia as a side effect."

Stefan frowned.

"But it's not foolproof. I can't afford to take any chances that any memories of our time together will surface at the trial or before."

Sasha chuckles.

"If she did remember, it could blow your cover. Let the whole world know that one of the most successful and high rising business men is also one of the most notorious traffickers."

"It won't happen. I won't let it. As soon as one memory surfaces, I will dispose of her."

Sasha folded.

"Like those other women…the ones washing up on beaches," she said, "You know you and the recently departed Andre have more than a few things in common."

That made Stefan bristle and he downed some more vodka.

"Andre grew careless and made mistakes I'd never make," he said, "and one of them was letting C.J. slip out of his Washington compound alive."

"Your plant on Sapphire Island didn't stop her from getting away from him."

Stefan arched his brows.

"And who recruited him," he said, "and insisted he was ready for the assignment even though I expressed concerns about his fitness."

She sighed.

"Okay so I misjudged his skills, that won't happen again."

Stefan rubbed his hands together.

"It won't because I'll make all the decisions this time."

Sasha got up to refresh her own glass, pulling the silken robe around her form.

"Well you're going to have your hands full with your client," she said, "Matt is quite a formidable opponent."

Stefan shook his head.

"I'm not worried about him," he said, "if he gets in my way; he'll be dead before he knows it."

Sasha sat back down looking at her boss who seemed so confident that Matt wouldn't be a threat to his plans but she knew better.

"I'm worried about her."

* * *

><p>C.J. had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. But her dreams caught up with her soon enough. Visions of the dead woman filled her, the one she had seen on the beach. The waves breaking over her still form.<p>

Then she felt the world blur around her as she sped back to a familiar place. She found herself lying on the floor, curled up in a fetal position and she knew that he had left her like that.

Andre had left minutes earlier after telling her that someone be arriving. She hadn't really listened; she had closed herself off from him when he first arrived as she always did. He'd run his fingers over her face after he'd finished, looking at her in a way that made her turn her face away.

"You're very beautiful and you belong to me. But you don't do what I tell you unless I show you the photos."

The photos he'd taken of Matt while he traveled around the world to escape from his failed engagement. Snapshots of him in different places, some familiar some not, as he traveled further away from L.A., he grew happier and more relaxed in the photos. Did this mean he'd never be coming back home?

"I'd kill him in a minute if you fought me," Andre said, "but you'll find there are other ways to persuade you to comply with what's expected of you."

She just kept looking away from him, his words barely reaching him. He'd gotten what he wanted and she hadn't really fought much. Matt would remain alive another day and so would she.

"A man will be joining you in a few minutes," Andre said, "I've left it up to him with how he'll get you to obey him."

She furrowed her brow at his words. He'd never mentioned any other men using her. In fact, he had ordered that the other men in the compound including Piser keep their hands off of her. But now the rules had suddenly changed.

"No…"

The word felt like cotton inside of her mouth. She could barely hear it when it was spoken.

"You're to do what he wants no matter what," Andre said, "as you would with me."

Her mind wanted to work quickly but it wouldn't work at all, everything inside her felt like it had slowed down.

"You are to please him as if your life depended on it because it does…"

She blinked her eyes as he stood up and walked away from her, leaving her on the floor. Still trying to figure out what he had planned.

"I'll see you in the morning."

And like that he had left but the relief that often filled her didn't come, her body shook with the words he had left her with putting the locked door between them.

And then the door opened and she tried to see….the shock hitting her body suddenly, shaking her and then the next thing she felt was a hand which had gripped her shoulder to wake her up. She opened her eyes suddenly and saw Matt looking at her, concern etched on his face.

"What…"

His hold relaxed and he started stroking her neck as he often did when she felt panicked. She felt her heart stop racing and the next breath seemed easier.

"You were screaming C.J…what kind of dream were you having?"

She frowned, the memories of it already starting to slip away.

"I…I don't know…it was about Andre only it wasn't…there was someone else who came in the room."

She struggled to remember more but she hadn't even seen the man's face. She hadn't seen him at all. She just knew he had been standing over her after the door had closed again. Suddenly a wave of fear filled her again and she tried to stave it.

"It's okay C.J…come here…"

She slid into his warm embrace, felt his breath against her skin as he held her close to him. Her body relaxed against him as it often had before but her mind remained trapped inside her dream.

What the hell was going on with her?


	31. Chapter 31

C.J. sat at the conference table once again facing Derek who had been running questions past her for over an hour. She'd come close to killing him twice which mean it wasn't going very well. It's not as if any of the questions broke new ground. He asked the same ones over and over as if he expected the answers to be different.

The lawyer side of her told her that he did it to toughen her up for answering similar questions under much more difficult circumstances.

"I'm doing this to help you C.J. you do understand that don't you?"

She just stared back at him not willing to give an inch today. He'd called her before she'd gone to her office to come on down for another impromptu dress rehearsal for a trial date that might never come.

"That's what you always say Derek," she said, "but it's the same old material."

He shook his head and pushed the files in front of him forward. Just a few of them from the huge filing cabinet devoted to her case.

"It's just so you'll be ready for anything the other side throws at you," he said, "You of all people should know how ruthless a defense attorney can be in cross-examination when he's trying to save his client's life or his freedom."

She took a deep breath to calm down, to center herself as Diane taught her in therapy.

"I know that…and we haven't even got to the difficult parts of it yet."

He nodded.

"It'd help if you didn't have these gaps in your memory."

She heard the frustration lace his voice and it angered her. If he felt that way about it imagine how she felt. It was her life after all and not being able to remember parts of it drove her nearly crazy with it. The nightmares that plagued her taunted her with pieces of a puzzle she didn't know how to fit together. Waking up in a deep sweat and Mat wrapping her arms around her almost as if it were by instinct now.

"You want me to make something up," she said, "to fill what's missing with fiction? I've tried to remember what happened during those times but it's like nothing, a blank."

"What does Diane say about it?"

C.J ran a hand through her hair looking at him.

"My memories might come back with time…unless I was given some drugs to make me forget," she said, "If that's the case, they might be gone forever."

Derek sighed.

"Those days are crucial to our case," he said, "We didn't get much out of Elena…just that she and another women got you dressed."

C.J. remembered bits and pieces, images mostly, a spattering of words spoken while she'd just been numb, shrouded by what felt like fog.

"I don't really remember more than that…"

She felt the fear creep through her, knowing she wasn't being entirely honest with him. She remembered that Andre had pressed her against the wall of the room and forced himself on her. His hot breath on her neck, his voice a terse series of grunts…and herself sinking to the floor afterward.

Then the man…who reached his hand out to help her on her feet…but she didn't remember his features only his outline. It was so damn crazy, it couldn't be real and maybe it wasn't, maybe it was just fantasy.

"Are you sure?"

She looked him directly in the eye without blinking.

"Yes. That's all I remember."

He pulled a folder closer to him and flipped through it.

"The Jaguar was a close associate with Andre Duval and another trafficker named Lucian," he said, "He must have appeared at the compound in Washington State to do business…"

"I wouldn't know Derek," she said, "I wasn't privy to Andre's business. Until I escaped I didn't see most of the compound."

Derek shook his head.

"I don't know how we're going to tie him into it," he said, "if you don't remember anything more."

She folded her arms.

"What does he have to do with prosecuting Scott," she said, "You got him on conspiracy, kidnapping, and fraud and just about everything else. What does The Jaguar have to do with that? They weren't known associates."

Derek sighed.

"Scott Prescow is a sorry excuse for a human being," he said, "but he's an incidental player in the trafficking industry. Andre Duval is dead, Lucian's dropped out of sight probably in Asia and the Jaguar…he's just got to be hiding in plain sight."

She pondered that knowing Derek could be right. It made it all the easier for him to hide his tracks and also come looking to tie up his loose ends meaning all those dead women who wound up washing up on shores around the globe.

She thought back to hypnosis and whether or not it could help her remember but she didn't want to bring up the issue to Derek.

"So why are the feds throwing at the book at him then?"

Derek grimaced.

"Because he refused to take the deal we offered," he said, "Damn arrogant prick."

C.J. couldn't argue with that but it wasn't just arrogance that drove Scott to go to a jury trial. It was self-preservation.

"Smart arrogant prick," she said, "You know if he took a deal the feds would never be able to keep him alive long enough to use him against his employers. He knows that too."

"We're going to convict his ass."

"Probably…but he'll be a live inmate in some federal prison rather than another dead body washing up on some shore."

Derek paused a long moment.

"Most of them are dead, the others scattered to the far corners or hiding in disguises that won't fool anyone for long. There's no one left to assassinate him."

C.J. wondered if he really believed that.

"You really don't know anything do you? Andre Duval is dead but there are plenty of others out to replace him including the Jaguar. He turned tail on all of them the first chance he got once he hit the states. Scott knows exactly what he's doing to stay alive."

She got up from her seat deciding this meeting was over.

* * *

><p>Matt had received some more faxes from Stefan on the specifics of his estate. He remembered what it had been like when he and Zeke had tested the system and thought that Dan and he would be able to cover the modifications.<p>

His mind flashed to that night when he and Zeke had been hiding inside the area where he'd seen the secured filing cabinets inside the room that hadn't been locked. The most advanced, most sophisticated security system could only do so much and if there were weak links in the system it might be next to useless.

Dan walked into the office.

"So he sent you the rest of the specs?"

Matt nodded.

"He wants a separate system for that room that Zeke and I just walked into, the one with the cabinets."

Dan shook his head.

"If he held all his company's secrets in there…"

Matt sighed, looking at one of the spec sheets.

"I don't think that room had to do with business, at least not his pharmaceutical company."

"Personal then….?"

"Maybe…but why have a vault and then leave it open like that?"

Dan shrugged.

"He wanted you and Zeke to find it. The guy's not got an ounce of carelessness inside him Houston. He had that; he never would have survived let alone survived in such a cutthroat industry."

Matt knew that his friend was right. A lot about Stefan puzzled him but having his business would be a big boost to their firm.

"So you are doing anything tonight with your lady?"

Matt smiled.

"Spending a quiet night at home," he said, "We've both been so busy lately and it might be a good time to slow things down."

Dan caught an edge in his voice.

"Anything going on with the two of you?"

Matt paused.

"C.J.'s been under a lot of stress," he said, "She's been having nightmares lately."

"Not abnormal in a situation like this," Dan said, "We've both been there ourselves."

Meaning they'd both had their experiences with PTSD. Matt through being kidnapped as a child and dan through his time on the police force.

"It's different with her."

"It always is with the ones we love," Dan said, "She's been through an awful lot for one lifetime and she's come a long way. You do know that?"

Matt nodded.

"It just seems that it's been more intense lately…maybe it's the new DA pushing her so hard…the trial coming up…but something's changed with her."

He couldn't put his finger on it let alone explain it to his friend. But he felt the difference with every fiber inside of him. He just didn't know what to do about it since she didn't seem to want to talk to him about it…or what was going on inside of her.

Maybe tonight…he'd cook her some of his Tex Mex food and pick up some wine…and it'd be just the two of them and maybe she'd relax enough to let down these defenses a little.

She'd tell him what was going on inside of her and he'd help her through it. Yes that is what he would do.

* * *

><p>C.J. left the prosecutor's office and had gotten Matt's message about spending the evening at home together without any distraction. She'd smiled because she wanted to do that much more than anything else. They'd both been so busy and the stress level had been high…all she wanted to do was kick back with him and some good food and wine…yeah that would fit the bill.<p>

She loved him so fiercely and yet it scared her, just like the nightmares did and she didn't know why. She didn't know who the shadowy figure was who came in her dreams.

Then her phone buzzed again and she picked it up.

Simon.

She answered it while she was stopped in traffic.

"What is it Simon?"

He paused.

"I just got a call from the hospital," he said, "The woman…the one they found, she just woke up from her coma."

"Oh my god…"

She hadn't expected it to ever happen given her injuries.

"Does she remember anything at all?"

Simon sighed deeply.

"I don't know…but she is aware and lucid…surprisingly so," he said, "I need to go over and talk with her, take advantage of this window in case she goes downhill again."

She knew what his question would be before he asked it. She answered without hesitating.

"Yes of course I'll meet you at the hospital…in less than an hour."

She clicked off her phone and when the light turned green, she turned off the street at the next intersection, apprehension and anticipation filling her as she drove to the hospital.


	32. Chapter 32

C.J. went to meet Simon at the hospital after leaving a message for Matt that she'd be late coming home that night. She knew he'd looked forward to them spending a quiet evening together and so did she, god everything had been busy lately with an injection of craziness of it. She had been so on edge lately as if she were waiting for something and the nightmares hadn't helped.

Maybe if she could learn something from the woman in the hospital it would help. Not just the woman but herself. After all women were being discovered washed up on the shores of the oceans and seas of this world. Most of them bearing the mark of the jaguar…so she knew they belonged to him. He or someone else was methodically destroying his property and she didn't know well. The only reason that made sense is that he'd gone deeply underground and was trying to minimize the risk of exposure.

It made a lot more sense than when Andre Duval had been doing the same thing with his prostitutes. His murder and systemic disposal of them had been because he'd been killing his mother over and over again, the prostitute that had birthed him into hell and then left him. If it hadn't been for his father Marquis Sr, Andre might not have survived his upbringing. The Jaguar didn't have those drives, C.J. sensed, he was a businessman and if he were going through such trouble to erase his tracks to trafficking then he must have a legitimate trade. Maybe he did legal business dealings as well, maybe he was someone in an elevated position of power. She'd struggled to remember who he'd been when she'd encountered him at the compound in Washington State but she drew a blank…except while she slept at night. When the past came alive for her again.

Whatever drug she'd been given during that missing time when she'd been a captive had done its job.

She drove through downtown Houston, the traffic being light. It looked like it might rain soon and she hoped that this errand at the hospital wouldn't take too long. She felt eager to talk to this woman to see how much she might remember but at the same time, she felt fear inside of her too. What if the women remembered details of her life under the Jaguar that mirrored those experienced by C.J.? She'd never worked as a prostitute; it'd never gone that far because she'd escaped that night before he could come collect his new purchase. But she knew he'd been looking for her along with Andre and the feds while she and Matt had been on the run to try to free her from those who had other plans for her. The Jaguar had sent someone to collect her on Sapphire Island but Matt and his ragtag band of men had thwarted that plan. Still she never felt free in a world where the Jaguar still ran free.

She turned into the parking lot of the hospital and parked her car. The lot was filled with empty cars and she looked around carefully after locking up her own. No one lurked there except for a man who looked to be on his cell phone. She glanced at him as she walked into the building to meet Simon in the lobby, not paying much attention to him when he followed her inside.

* * *

><p>Matt had finished his work when he'd gotten C.J.'s message that she had gone to the hospital to meet Simon. He knew about the comatose woman lying in the bed there and the clues she might hold for police if she ever regained consciousness. He also knew it'd be a long shot for her to make a complete recovery. But he knew how much C.J. wanted for her to wake up and provide information about her time with the Jaguar and how she had wound up washed up on a beach not far from here. He packed up and headed on out and when he got to the house after picking up some groceries; he sat on the sofa in the living room and called L.A.<p>

Roy had been working with Brody on organizing the caseload which had grown despite Matt not being involved in the day to day operations anymore. He knew that through the years they had built up a clientele who relied on their services and word of mouth had boosted the numbers. Roy was more than capable of taking over the helm and Brody was an ace investigator. So there'd been nothing to worry about on his end.

"How are things in Texas?"

Matt sighed.

"Busy…the firm picked up some new clients and we're working on that system for Mr. Kostas."

"Ah, the mysterious pharmaceutical extraordinaire, how's that going?"

"He's easy to work with, seems to approve the recommendations," Matt said, "Easier to deal with than this reputation I'd heard so much about in the media."

"You were at his island compound off of Crete right?"

"Yeah we broke into his house there to test the system," he said, "Very impressive setup there. He even has a menagerie of animals."

"I heard about the dead women washing up," Roy said, "Police know anything?"

Matt sighed again.

"Not much…in fact C.J. ran off to talk to a woman they found who survived," he said, "They all had tattoos on them."

"Sounds familiar…"

"This time it's a jaguar rather than a chimera."

"Ah yes, the infamous Jaguar is rearing his head again," Roy said, "trying to ensure that no one finds out about his illegal businesses."

"You think he's a legitimate businessman as a cover?"

"Got to be…Probably a hell of a lot of money laundering going on through his public corporations," Roy said, "Duval did that including through his foundations so the Jaguar's doing the same thing."

"Hiding in plain sight," Matt said, "What if he's some high profile business leader or politician?"

"Then it's going to be both easy and difficult to bring him down," Roy said, "Finding him is going to be challenging if he's using his legitimate gains to hide behind."

Matt knew that much but he also knew he was determined to find him, to bring him down one way or another and put all this behind C.J. and him. He had so much in his future that he wanted to plan, the woman he wanted to spend his life with, to build family but he knew as long as the faceless man who haunted her dreams lurked that neither of them could move forward. Then there was the upcoming trial…all challenges they had to face.

But he loved her more than anything and he wouldn't have his life any other way if she wasn't in it.

* * *

><p>Stefan just looked out at the span of Houston from his hotel suite. The light of the buildings and the streets twinkled in front of him. He liked major cities, always alive and bustling filled with things to do to pass the time. Perfect settings for both his legitimate and his more shadowy businesses….and he'd been trying to balance them both in the months since the feds broke up Andre Duval's operation in the Caribbean and around the world. The focus had been on his business rival but that hadn't spared others like him and Lucian who had apparently dropped off the face of the planet.<p>

"So you sent someone to the hospital to put her to sleep permanently?"

He nodded before going to pour himself another drink. The women washing up, he couldn't help. The oceans and seas of the world were still the best burial grounds even though the tides did surrender them up eventually. But by then, most of them had been decomposing.

Except for this one in the hospital bed.

Somehow she'd survived being murdered and cast out in the Gulf of Mexico. She'd washed back to shore badly injured but alive and she had been comatose since. He'd sent one of his men to keep her under surveillance and report back all her visitors. She'd been under tight police guard and so he couldn't send anyone in yet to finish her off. But it would only be a matter of time before he'd be able to do that. He was putting together a plan and had someone on the inside already.

Then the phone call that one of the FBI agents Simon and C.J. had shown up at the hospital separately which wasn't a coincidence. Both were there to see the woman and that meant she must have regained consciousness. She had been badly beaten and choked not to mention having been drugged for quite a while towards what was to have been the end of her life. Not that he was overly concerned because there'd be no way for a mere whore to connect the men who handled her to the Jaguar let alone to Stefan, the respectable and highly successful businessman.

But he hated loose ends and he wanted this one tied up quickly. He told the man to keep a close eye on Simon and C.J. and then to report back to him. He walked back to the window to take in the view while Sasha watched him.

* * *

><p>C.J. looked into the woman's bruised face and her reddened eyes. Whoever had beaten her up had been thorough and there had been some bleeding on the brain discovered in an MRI along with swelling. But she had improved much in the past 24 hours through use of a drug that had been researched at this hospital and then later approved for use by the FDA.<p>

The woman just looked at them and C.J. didn't know what she saw. Did she see her and Simon or did she see something else? She looked agitated, moving her eyes about the room, not focusing on one spot. Simon of course put his lousy people skills to use right off the bat.

"You ready to talk to us?"

C.J. just rolled her eyes at him.

"Simon, she's not one of your uncooperative suspects," she said, "She's a woman who's been through a very traumatic experience."

He shrugged and took out his audio recording device. C.J. just looked at him and then she rested a hand on the woman's shoulders. Her hands were bandaged from being cut up perhaps from some type of defensive wounds, or from the rocks when she'd been in the ocean.

"Hi there…good to see you come back," she said softly, "How you feeling…?"

The woman focused her eyes on her or at least she tried and her lips moved.

"Waat…"

C.J. knew she meant to say water and there had been a pitcher left by her bed and a cup. The nurse walked in to put some notations on her chart and C.J. asked if she could have water and she nodded.

"In moderation," the nurse said, "she was badly dehydrated on top of everything else so we gave her IV D5W for that and other issues."

The nurse poured her cup and C.J. helped the woman drink from it as her hands were quite shaky. The woman nodded slightly when she'd had enough and C.J. put the cup down.

"You've been through a lot and you need your rest," C.J. said, "We're just here to check in on you and ask some questions if you're up to it."

The woman's brow knit.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "I'm C.J. Parsons; I'm doing some consulting for Simon here from the FBI. His bedside manner's not the best, I'll have to apologize for that."

He glowered but said nothing. The woman just looked at the two of them.

"What do you want to know?"

Her voice sounded stronger in just a few moments and C.J. knew she looked at a resilient woman.

"Who did this to you," Simon asked, "and was it the man who pimped you for The Jaguar?"

C.J. just sighed, knowing that Simon love to cut to the chase but it wouldn't yield much information here. The woman had been badly injured and likely drugged so her memories might be fuzzy if they weren't erased.

"I…I…who's the Jaguar…?"

The woman looked confused at them.

"You never heard of him?"

She shook her head slightly.

"No…no I was a model," she said, "I was called by my agent for…jobs…don't remember much…but this man…he was tall and I…I don't remember what happened."

C.J. figured as much after her experience that her recollections might be sketchy. That might improve with time and attentive care. But if this woman was a prostitute for the Jaguar then she was likely on the bottom rung of his operations…thus not likely to know what happened at the very top. Still, she was the only woman found alive so far and that was enough.

The Jaguar for whatever reason had wanted her and the other women dead, but at least in the case of the woman lying in the bed in front of her, he hadn't gotten his way.


	33. Chapter 33

The woman just kept repeating that it'd been a tall man…well built and she hadn't remembered much more than that. C.J. felt frustration fill her but she knew she couldn't push the woman. Her amnesia, trauma induced in more ways than one would push back.

It'd be a hard and impenetrable wall they'd never get through. Maybe with time…after all it looked like the woman might pull through the attempt against her life. She glanced over at Simon as the woman started to drift to sleep again.

"You put more guards on her door?"

He nodded.

"And near the nurse's station…it's the main way in or out."

"But not the only way…Simon if the Jaguar knows she's still alive and conscious…he's going to send someone in here to finish the job."

He sighed.

"We know that and we've taken measures to keep her safe and make sure no unauthorized people get past us to do any harm against her."

She just stared at him.

"How do you know this person isn't here already…and authorized," she said, "Andre Duval had a far reach with his own organization and I don't think it was as sophisticated yet as his rivals including the Jaguar."

Simon looked irritated.

"Look C.J. I told you we took steps and I've got more men coming in to relieve the others…all of them are thoroughly checked out and they've worked for the FBI for years."

She knew all that but she remembered how Andre had managed to infiltrate the U.S. Marshal's office which Jonathan had found out the hard way when he worked there. Brad his partner…his own supervisor who'd been blown up in a station while trying to collect his reward for betraying where they'd been hiding her in Colorado. It had been one of the reasons Jonathan had given it up. He'd been surrounded by traitors all of whom were people he thought he knew and had trusted.

Simon must have read her mind.

"We're not the U.S. Marshals," he said, "We vet our people more closely… we don't have Brads…or others like him…I've never had to shoot one of my partners before he got me first."

"How do you know for sure," she said, "Jonathan's a smart man, experienced like you and he didn't know…these agents were like sleepers. They worked tons of cases, supervised other agents before they went rogue."

Simon sighed.

"Like I said, I know the people who work close with me," he said, "They're all clean and none of them worked for Andre…and none of them are tied to this Jaguar."

Not obviously, C.J. thought but she knew that they'd never be sure unless one of them slipped up and exposed themselves…or tried to kill Simon or her…or someone like Matt. Andre was dead and buried but if he had people infiltrating or loyal to him in the federal agencies then surely the Jaguar must have people loyal to him as well.

Jonathan had left in the wake of the cleaning out of the U.S. Marshal's office and the appearances of its representatives in front of a congressional panel on corruption and criminal behavior inside of it. Some agents…Sally was one of them had been star witnesses on what had happened and then not long after that…Sally had disappeared.

"So where are you heading now?"

C.J. looked down on the bed where the battered woman slept hooked up to medical equipment. She hoped she'd survive and tell them more of her story if she ever remembered any of it…even fragments but the doctors weren't sure about her eventual recall.

"I'm going to meet my husband," she said, "He's meeting with his client…the one who wants one of their new security systems…it's not on the market yet."

Simon nodded.

"I've been meaning to get one myself."

"You…I thought nothing rattled you…"

He paused.

"This is a dangerous world we live in…I don't have to tell you that. I'm surprised you don't go state of the art yourself…I mean Matt is partners in the fastest growing security firm in the country."

She smiled.

"We try to strike a balance between security and still being able to live like normal….like we used to back in L.A."

He sobered up.

"It's not the same world for you C.J.," he said, "You're set to be the star witness in one of the largest…the largest trafficking trial in DOJ history…there's still people out there who want you dead…your boyfriend too."

She knew that and then there were others like the shadowy Jaguar who just wanted her. Not that she didn't think he'd kill her because he might think she might remember enough to be able to put the pieces together to his real identity…. Right now, all she remembered was probably not much more than the woman lying on the bed…who'd been her after all.

* * *

><p>Matt looked at Stefan who had shared with him that he'd be launching a new drug on the market…a relaxing agent that would revolutionize those dealing with anxiety disorders. That's what he said anyway but Mat knew he had the means and the technology to do it and that other companies would be interested in buying it…once it was patented and ready of course after extensive testing and FDA clearance.<p>

Years off, Stefan said, unless he managed some shortcuts which was always possible. But it made it clear to him that he needed a much more advanced system than had been designed so far.

Matt sighed.

"I understand your concerns Mr. Kostas and we've been working on improving the protocol in our latest designed model…but it's not been tested yet."

Stefan folded his arms.

"Then test it on me," he said, "Anyway we can discuss it at dinner tonight…at that new restaurant…the Italian place near the federal building."

Matt knew it as he and C.J. had dined there several times already.

"I'll have to check with C.J. on what she's planned tonight."

Stefan smiled.

"Bring her along…she's a delightful woman," he said, "So intelligent…if she wasn't working for the feds…I'd consider hiring her myself."

Matt frowned.

"She's not working for them," he said, "She has her own consulting services and she's assisting them on some cases…human trafficking mostly."

Stefan's face darkened.

"Ah yes…that scourge on humanity," he said, "I read about the trafficker who abducted her right out of the parking garage where she worked in L.A…you were traveling then of course."

Matt bristled a bit because he'd never forgotten that if he'd been there…and hadn't taken off after the aborted wedding he might have stopped what happened to her.

"He's dead now…he can't hurt anyone anymore."

Stefan nodded.

"Yes that's good but it's like any business when one prominent player goes under, the other circle like sharks to take his place in the hierarchy."

Matt knew that might be happening under the radar of the feds because with all the scrutiny caused by the upcoming trial, most of the other traffickers were lying lower than usual.

"The feds are monitoring that to see what other players try to take advantage of the vacuum caused by Andre's death."

"I'm sure they are and I wish them the best of luck," Stefan said, "I don't envy their job at all. It must be most difficult…"

"We were talking about a security system…"

Stefan paused then nodded.

"Yes we were and I'm willing to implement the newest system without testing," he said, "In fact you can use my estate as a test. You see I'm in another cutthroat business and I have to worry about surveillance equipment and spies trying to infiltrate everywhere."

Matt didn't doubt that…the legal drug industry was the one most rampant with espionage and subterfuge.

"But I have family to protect too," Stefan said, "and that's especially important right now as I continue to grow and expand."

Matt nodded.

"I can understand that it's important to keep your family safe."

Stefan eyed him directly.

"I can see how you'd understand Matt," he said, "You've learned that when you're vulnerable anywhere your enemies can exploit that and hurt you in the worst of ways."

Matt narrowed his eyes digesting what Stefan said, almost as if he'd read into his mind. But the man just smiled at him.

"I do know that and I know how to protect my family."

"I'm sure you do," Stefan said, "but you can never afford to be too careful can you? I think that's something we both know from our respective lines of work wouldn't you agree?"

Matt paused and then nodded.

* * *

><p>C.J. had left the hospital and had seen that Simon had more agents stationed by the room where the woman slept. She hoped it'd be enough to keep her safe.<p>

The vision of the injuries she'd experienced that she could see and those caused by the horror that she couldn't remained with her. She knew she wouldn't forget the woman's face anytime soon. She stopped by a drive thru to get a soda and then continued on to the building where Matt and Dan ran their firm. She thought the day had gone okay considering…she'd gotten some paperwork caught up on and seeing the woman open their eyes and able to use her voice…even if she couldn't tell her much left her feeling hopeful.

But they needed more information on the Jaguar including his real identity and what he'd planned for the rest of the women he'd owned. It seemed as if someone probably on his orders was killing them off one by one so that his trafficking business couldn't be traced back to where its owner stayed in the lightness of day in the world outside of it. That meant that he must be someone well known in some business industry or other sphere. They were no closer to finding out who he might be and that left her frustrated.

Now getting stuck in traffic just upped the ante on that and she found herself getting restless. She knew that he was out there hunting women and that might include her…especially since she was preparing to testify at a trial that might involve him. After all he'd sent a representative to that party on Sapphire Island, the one broken up by the feds and the military. But that man had wound up dead in a room…she knew she had stabbed him but someone else with a gun had killed him execution style. That had been Jonathan's other partner Sally who had said she'd done it in self defense.

Cut and dry and so that investigation was open and then promptly closed and filed away…then Sally had disappeared on vacation most likely.

The light turned green and someone honked at her. She sighed and continued driving to meet Matt.

* * *

><p>The nurse stood outside the room where the woman slept knowing it'd be time for her next round of meds and IV change. She'd chatted with the armed guards, agents from the FBI who were assigned to guard her 247 with others staked around the wing.

She didn't know if she felt safer with them here but they could never be too careful. After all the woman fighting for her life inside the room had a story to tell if she ever fully awakened…and remembered it. It could help the feds immensely with their investigation into more than one trafficking ring and that's why they wanted her to live so much and why they had her guarded heavily.

Not that it would do much good of course for the poor woman who'd seen too much pain to live anyway, had done too many shameful things to ever have a normal life as the feds would soon find out.

The nurse slipped her hand into her pocket where she kept the syringe handy which would put her patient asleep forever…nice and peacefully.


End file.
